Nightwood

by Patricia Windsor

Casey, Gena, and Maryann can think of a way better use of a week than a senior trip to Washington, D.C. Casey's plan is simple. Ditch the trip to D.C., camp out at her parents' amazing cabin in Delonga, and accidentally "run into" Lane and his friends on their fishing trip. She knows the boys will be across the lake--her friends will thank her once they're up there.
Three girls for three boys will be the perfect party. After all, what could be more fun than five days in the woods? No curfews, no rules, and no parents. No one will even know they're up there.
And no one will hear them when they scream for help.
When the first body shows up, it's shocking. When the knock comes on the back door, it's horrifying. And when they realize there's nowhere to hide, they'll wish they were already dead.
Surviving a week in the woods is a going to be a whole lot harder than these girls could ever imagine.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Action

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Patricia Windsor is the author of many books for young readers. Her book The Sandman's Eyes won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Mystery. Patricia Windsor lives and writes in Maryland.

Reviews

[Grace Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUGGIT...Just gonna bump this and give it a 5.

I first read Patricia Windsor's Christmas Killer and was entranced by that atmospheric and moody read, which led me to seek out more of her work! This book was released in 2006, which may have been her last book...sadly she passed in 2010 🥺

Few thoughts:
- Every chapter is from a different POV, including the killer! I enjoyed the multiple perspectives, although judging from some of the reviews here, it was jarring for some. But now that you know what to expect! It won't be jarring for YOU!

- A generous amount of teenage drinking and lots of swearing 😆 Also, this is definitely on the darker side for a YA, as some scenes were viscerally STOMACH TURNING for me...which for a YA horror, is a good thing 🤣🤢

- I wish there had been a sequel! Perhaps the author had planned one? But sadly after her passing a few years after this was published, we will never know 🥺

- This was a cross between Christopher Pike's Monster and Silence of the Lambs. READ IT.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Three girls for three boys will be the perfect party. After all, what could be more fun than five days in the woods? No curfews, no rules, and no parents. No one will even know they're up there. No one will hear them when they scream for help. When the first body shows up, it's shocking. When the knock comes on the back door, it's horrifying. And when they realize there's nowhere to hide, they'll wish they were already dead".

Fantastic read! Short and sweet. Excellent writing, great for a Halloween occasion or just when you need a good spooky story.
It takes place in Georgia, with trees full of Spanish moss, thick forests full of brambles, a gorgeous lake, spoiled teenagers and one mean creep!

[Casie Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book about four years ago and it has been my favorite book eve since. It is a gripping horror story that will make your head spin with twists and turns. It's gruesome and disturbing on so many levels yet it will hold your attention until you read the very last sentance. I wanted a scary read that would make me afraid to turn off the lights at night and I got my wish. The characters are so realistic and I feel like I can identify with each of them as they fight to survive an unknown killer. Each chapter brings new thrills and new exciting mysteries to unlock. I hope that as a writer I can keep my readers as hooked on my story as Patricia Windsor keept me hooked on hers.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love teen horror novels and this one definitly did not disappoint but there were several things about this book that was definitly irritable. The problem I had was that the point-of-character view kept switiching between so many characters that it was hard to really focus and remember who the narrator for that chapter was until after a certain point. I will say the ending was definitly a cliffhanger and I want to know more, but there were some parts to this novel that should have been left out.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

im like halfway through it, & im really enjoying it.

[Fuzzydice108 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful daily dose of horror.

[Jessicaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot Overview: It first started with three girls wanting to have fun. In order to have fun they had to lie to their parents and say they were going to a Washington D.C trip. In reality they went to camp in a Delgona. Casey wanted to go because she wanted to meet up with a boy. When they got there they thought everything was going well. Until they met up with Lane, the boy Casey had a crush on, then he told the girls how they couldn’t find one of his friends. They all went to look for him and found someone else dead. They wanted to call the police but they couldn’t because they would tell the girl’s parents and the parents didn’t know. They keep finding dead animals and people missing which scares the girls. Is there a serial killer? Does he want the girls? Or is it just a bear? Do their parents find out?

Character Overview: Maryann was my favorite character because she had gone through so much with her dad that it is sad how he treated her. He treated her like maid and didn’t really have respect towards her. She had to steal clothes and cook for him and he would hit her if she did something wrong, even if it was the littlest mistake. This strong character reminded me of one of my friends that says how her parents hit her and she also reminds me of those people especially girl that have been raised by their fathers. I am like her because she gets scared easily like I do.

Theme Overview: Disobedience = The author teaches us that when you know something is wrong you shouldn’t do it especially when your parents are not happy with this action. These girls decided to lie and it gave them consequences.

My thoughts: I usually can’t find good books to read, the best ones were the twilight saga books but now I have found another amazing book, Nightwood. This book was really interesting and very well detailed. I liked how it has different points of views. It has so much suspense and I liked that because it kept me wanting to read it more and more. My teacher even once told me to put it away once because I was reading it when I wasn’t supposed to.

[Alayna Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and terrifying.

I read this a few years ago and it always stuck with me. I found this again while packing up my books during a move and reread it. Still freaks me out! There are so many things in this book that seem so wrong. It has a randomness to it that just makes you feel vulnerable.
I wonder if there is a sequel...

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was actually good for being horror/suspense. Though, it really only gets better as you get deeper into the book. The beginning dragged on particularly long for my taste. But it was good nonetheless.

[Julia Kristen]

It was shit.

[Kelsey R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 2.5 star rating rounded up for the apps sake. This book was very hard to follow at points. There is multiple points of view that switches back and forth making it somewhat hard to follow. Some of the narrative is just not great but the ending makes it a bit justified. Overall its okay but definitely not the best.

[Jennifer Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! Great Scare. I do not scare so easy, and this got me! I read this when I was a senior in high school, home alone or at least I thought I was just as I got to the scariest part my older sister burst into my room, I jumped so good and back then I also lived in a house that right outside my bedroom window is woods and you step out back there was woods right at your back door. lol

[Erin Hudgens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me a lot of H.P. Lovecraft’s style of horror. The point is not the characters, the point is the story. I REALLY enjoyed it. I think there actually could have been more to it. But it was also a good short read. Definitely recommend.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was something I read awhile ago before I discovered Goodreads. I can't explain it but this book has always been one of my favorite horror stories. Finally got my hands on a copy and I can't wait to re-read it for spooky season!

[Tara Losacano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read and I enjoyed it! Though there were some inconsistencies and subplots that seemed to go nowhere, I did fly through the book though because it kept me interested and it was suspenseful throughout! Overall a 3.5/5 skull read 💀

[Rounak Raj · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story wasn't bad, but I didn't like it very much. I thought Wayne Penny was going to stalk and kill people, but instead he is shown to be not an evil guy. The real serial killer in the story was Jeff who managed to get away. I bet he was the man who murdered Pope.

[Hailie]

At first it was boring but after the first character change I was hooked

[Jen Gurniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the creepiest books I have read. It's very well written and leaves you wanting to know more. Nightwood is definitely an underrated novel!

[C. ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this book around my youth (I was around 16 or so) and I’m surprised by the good reviews on a such a beak book. Seriously, what the hell was that? 😂

[Madison C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, Nightwood is just a really strange book. I picked it up for a cheap price at a secondhand bookstore, looking for a quick, mindless read. I didn't have high expectations for it, simply because the premise was the same over-used plot line that you see in every teen slasher: three girls head out to a secluded cabin for a trip, lie to their parents about where they're going, and expect to have fun and party all week. Except actually, there's a serial killer on the loose and their fun times end quickly. I didn't think it would be that good, but I was hoping for a nice little mystery/thriller that would at least get me out of my mind for a while. But in the end, there were a lot of issues that I had with it and there were very few parts that I actually liked.

First, the pacing was all over the place. Nothing really happens for the first hundred pages. At all. Some animals get killed, but that's it. Granted, the book is only 250 pages long. So taking nearly 1/2 of the space to set up the plot is bad. After that, the pace did pick up. However, then it went too fast. Once one murder happened, everything escalated quickly and I felt like the ending came pretty abruptly. The author should have sped up the beginning and slowed down the end to even it out.

Another big issue that I had with Nightwood was the characters. There were roughly ten different teenagers in the book and the point of view would shift from chapter to chapter. The thing I didn't like was that the PoV never lingered long enough for you to get to know any one character. By the time I got into Gena's head, it would switch to someone else. Windsor probably used this technique to keep the pace going quickly, but she didn't do it very well. The characters did have separate personalities, but they all seemed like shallow stereotypes. I hated all of the girls (they were just so stupid and annoying; I wanted to smack them by the end) and the only character I was even somewhat intrigued by was Jeff, who you don't meet until the last 50 pages or so. I feel like if the author had selected one (or even two) characters and kept it from their point of view for the whole story, then it might have been a lot better.

Speaking of characters, I also wasn't fond of the killer or at least, the main one. He was just odd. The reader gets into his head some and I think the author tried to humanize him. But it didn't work for me. She had this half human half beast thing going on (except he was actually fully human, he just looked like a wolf. I understand that there's an actual condition that could cause this to happen, but it's very rare and I found it to be unrealistic that it was so extreme that even the cops thought he was an animal. And I thought it was weird that his lack of morals/intelligence was to the point that he didn't realize cannibalism was wrong. It would be one thing if he lived with his parents his whole life, but it was stated in the book that he got sent away to a school/institution (I can't remember which) for a while. If this is true, then he should have learned more about society while he was gone. At least enough to know that normal people don't eat other people. But whatever.) and I thought it would have been easier if she just left him as a regular human. Like, a normal serial killer is just fine. Does he really have to be some animal? It might have been better if there was more time to establish his character. But the novel was too short-- we didn't know much about him at all, besides little tidbits about his past. If she wanted him to appear realistic, she needed more time to characterize him. But maybe I'm just too picky.

All in all, I suppose Nightwood wasn't awful. It just wasn't for me. I didn't think it was nearly as scary or disturbing as some other reviewers have said. Yes, it does involve cannibalism, which is a dark element. Though, the humanization of the serial killer took all of the horror out of the novel for me. And the cannibalism was fairly light. There was really only one scene where it came into play and it was very quick. The whole story was predictable and the only thing that sort of impressed me was the ending (the thing about Jeff came out of the blue and I really wish it was explained more, because that did get me interested). Even then, though, the final twist was very random and out of place. The writing was just average. It wasn't bad, but I didn't think it was that great either. There was a lot of good description in some parts but then there were other sections that could have used more details. I noticed a lot of plot holes, too. So, I don't know. Nightwood, by far, isn't the worst book I've ever read. But honestly, I didn't like it. I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're extremely bored.

[Mckenzie Newsom · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is set in Georgia when three girls decide to skip out on their senior class trip and meet up with one of the girls boyfriends and his friends. The meet up is interrupted when horror strikes.

This book has a great plot line that unfortunately gets tangled up in the continual switching of view points at each chapter. I have never minded books that have varying view points through, however; there were so many characters that switched to their point of view that I felt like the quality of the plot was lost. The end certainly leaves you in some confusion and a cliffhanger.

Although the plot was good, I’m only giving it two stars due to the organization of the storyline and the ending being confusing.

[Angela Almeida · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're all told to listen to our parents at one time or another because the consequences often will outweigh the benefits. This so happens to be true for Casey, Gena, and Maryann. All they wanted to do was get away from school, their parents, and have fun at the lake in Delonga instead of being stuck at a boring class trip in Washington D.C. Their original plan was to meet Lane and his friends at the lake, flirt, party, and have a fun time together with no one to say anything about it. What they got instead was a week of trying to survive, no one to help them, and someone in the woods watching, waiting, and trying to kill them.

Nightwood is written by Patricia Windsor. She is the author of many books for young readers. She writes horror stories as well as some fantasy. Her book The Sandman's Eyes won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Mystery.

The whole story-line, I thought, was very interesting because it turned out to be something more than I expected. My first thought, even before I read the story, was that it would turn out to be a simple ending, just like the ones in movies; where the killer gets killed in the end with some people dead and very few of them survive, but it turned out to be a complete shock!

The points of view the characters possessed were very realistic and you felt like you were actually in their mind, thinking and feeling whatever they thought and felt during those suspenseful moments in the story. The girls’ characters were pretty much the rolls of teenage girls wanting to have fun and breaking the rules. Casey; the leader of the group, the popular one who takes over the pack, followed by Maryann; the follower, someone who spoke up when needed to, but still followed close behind Casey, and Gena; the sweet one who never went against her parents and obeyed the rules up until the trip.

The person in the woods, also known as the killer of the story, and later known as Wayne Penny, was a more interesting character because he truly was a mystery throughout the story. No one knew where he came from, what his name was, why he did what he did, until it neared the end of Nightwood. He kind of gave the story the sense of a mystery and when you discovered things about him, it gave a clearer view as to who he was and a look into his past, before he became a "beast".

After reading Nightwood, it taught me to obey and not to judge people without knowing where they come from and what they are about. If the girls had obeyed and would have gone on the Washington D.C. trip, they wouldn’t have ended up in the cabin, stranded, in the woods with a killer. It also taught me not to judge because after reading what the killer went through in his past, it made me understand his motives and his way of being. I felt bad for him because he truly didn’t know it was wrong until it was too late.

He was truly a misunderstood character.

[Ashley 8-3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book; Nightwood by Patricia Windsor. The Genre is Horror/Scary. If I had to rate this book I would probably give it three stars. This book was not one of my favorites because they made the killer sound really unreal.
The book also switches from way different people and topics throughout each chapter. The plot I think really supported all the characters and the whole story.
There were three main girls in this book Casey, Gena, and Maryann. My favorite character was Gena. They go into a lot of detail with her mainly because the killer caught her. Gena also worried a lot, she wasn’t really excited to skip her class trip and go to a cabin with her friends. She had a feeling of guilt with her mother giving her money to go on the class trip. Overall she is a pretty nice person but she has a lot of things on her mind.
This book started out where the three girls decide not to go on their class trip to Washington D.C. Instead they decide to go up to Casey’s cabin without telling there parents. Their parents think they are going on the trip but instead then end up getting into a lot of problems at the cabin. One of the girls just wants to go up to the cabin because she knows that her crush is going to be at his cabin also. When the boys and girls meet up the boys say that there friend is missing. They go for a walk to find him instead they find a dead body. Different situations throughout lead to that there is a killer on the loose. No one knows if the killer is half human half animal because it attacks people.

[Carly 8-3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book called Nightwood, and Patricia Windsor wrote it. The genre is horror or scary. If I had to rate this book I would give it three stars because it was jumping and scary but it just wasn’t one of my favorite books I have ever read.
The scenery changes a lot because there are so many characters in the book. So at times it was kind of confusing to know whom exactly they were talking bout. Other wise the plot was very well thought out and it always left me at the end seat just wanting to know what was going to happen next.
I would have to say that Jeff was my favorite character. The reason he was my favorite was because he was so mysterious and wondrous. He wasn’t a main character in the book, but he did play a significant role in the book. The girls, Gina, Casey and Maryanne were also my favorite because I can kind of relate to them. They all went to the a cabin to have some fun times and just get away from everyone, and of course to meet some beautiful guys too. Little to there surprise a killer, who is just waiting to eat them, is watching them. They are cased by him all over, while the girls and the guys must fight for their lives. He attacks all of the girls and boys at the cabin. Everyone is just left hanging, and just hoping there not next.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is in to scary stories and action. Also anyone who likes to be put on the edge of their seat just, that just can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was browsing my library when I came across this little book. In my mind, I kept thinking "I need something to read for Halloween" and I found Nightwood, and it seemed perfect.
This book is not new (I think it was published in 2006) but it was so different than 'scary' books that you can easily find at a bookstore.
Think cannibals and weird, nasty people. Basically, any Sci-Fy movie you can turn on the TV. Nightwood had a totally weird concept, and that's probably why I loved it so damn much. I liked the gore factor, and damn, the ending! I couldn't believe it! It definitely shocked me, and for once, I didn't ever get a chance to predict what was going to happen. Wish there was a sequel!

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, 3 girls go to a cabin in the woods, even though there supposed to be on a trip somewhere else, one of them wants meet a boy who it seems, has 2 other friends. All while an animal killer is on the loose. Meanwhile, a boy and his father sheriff are looking for that same killer with help from a reporter. If you've seen or read enough stories with this story, guess where be the killer hiding? How can you ignore that cover? It does catch your eye doesn't it? Anyway, from the summary this sounded like my kind of read. This was a quick read and an ending that was a little unexpected but at the same time predictable.

[vincent Kyin · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is very interesting. it is like a horror. there are 3 main characters in the book. gena, maryann, and casey. casey is the bad girl, always getting into trouble. maryann is just casey's friend following her. gena is a new girl and trying to fit in. they have this trip coming up. it is overnight trip and casey gets an idea. her idea is to trick her parents that they are going on the trip and then they will go to maryanns' cousins cabin. gena doesn't thinks that is a good idea. but later she decides to join. and when they get there strange stuff start to happen.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title and the cover caught my attention from the very beginning. While reading this book I myself got a little scared of what was going to happen next. I wasn't sure what was going on in the ending though about the one boy. My friend who read it told me that since he got bit he was like the guy/beast. I never understood if he was human and just really hairy or if he was a beast. This book was really good and I enjoyed reading it! If you're looking for a good book to keep you on the edge of your seat this is one!

[Vincent Kyin]

this book is very interesting. it is like a horror. there are 3 main characters in the book. gena, maryann, and casey. casey is the bad girl, always getting into trouble. maryann is just casey's friend following her. gena is a new girl and trying to fit in. they have this trip coming up. it is overnight trip and casey gets an idea. her idea is to trick her parents that they are going on the trip and then they will go to maryanns' cousins cabin. gena doesn't thinks that is a good idea. but later she decides to join. and when they get there strange stuff start to happen

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three girls (Casey, Gena, and Maryann), just wanna have fun!
Why not go to a cabin in the middle of the forest instead of going on a school trip?
It totally sounds like a great idea! Right? No of course not!
Instead of having fun, they try to survive day and night from someone who wants to kill them.
Quite an interesting book. The story did indeed flow, the characters were interesting in their own way. Hoever, there were a few points where it was predictable but then end was quite a surprise. I suspected but I had my doubts!