I purchased this book from the author at the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo. I was a little bit disappointed, because I expected book 2 to be a continuation of book 1 as I felt it had ended with a lot of questions left unanswered. Instead, it's more of a prequel book that still left me with questions. ( )

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy to read and review from Weapenry Co-Op and Netgalley.

If you could have one wish, what would you wish for? This book has you asking yourself that question as the students find a magic wishing well. It certainly puts a lot of pressure on your wish. You want it to be worth it, you don't want to waste your one wish. Well sorry to disappoint you, but that's exactly what these girls do, they waste their wishes. Absolutely no one make a worthwhile wish, making you angry that they have the opportunity.

I didn't have extremely high expectations for this book, and honestly it was about as good as I expected it to be. The first two-thirds of this book were pretty good and then it started going downhill, and it just kept going.

The characters were all crafted nicely and made a nice group of girlfriends for a boarding school. Courtney was an alright character in the beginning and then she just became more and more selfish and rude. I found myself wondering why the other girls would even want to hang out with her. She treated her friends like dirt, or rather, more like pawns. People who she could manipulate to her will in order to achieve everything she wanted. I like my main characters to have flaws, but damn, Courtney tips the scales overboard in The West Woods.

As for the writing, for the first part of the book I was thinking that this would be a four, potentially a five star read. The author filled some chapters with the feeling of anxiety and excitement as the girls snuck around. Some of the scenes were written so well that I found myself on the edge of my seat, covering my mouth and hoping that the characters could get away with whatever they were attempting at the moment. The writing is what saved this novel from being a two star read. It captivated me and it is clear that the author has the ability to create a five star read.

As for the plot... there was no climax! I feel as if this has happened far too frequently in some books I have been reading as of lately. I finished the book feeling like "that's it?". There were so many loose ends, absolutely no real resolution and not even a cliffhanger that left you feeling as if these problems could be solved later.

Oh and the romance? You mean the romance that wasn't? It was basically non existent because Courtney decided to be terrible. Good for Cole though, at least he didn't wind up subjected to her terrible treatment as well. The synopsis made it sound like there would be so much more to this romance.

Basically I feel as if this was a novel with a good idea and great writing, but lacked adequate structure. A book needs to have a climax and a resolution, this one had neither. Courtney was also an incredibly unlikable main character. I definitely would not count out the author, but I would not suggest reading this book. ( )

The West Woods by Suzy Vadori is the second novel in The Fountain series. Courtney Wallis tried to convince her father to her not return to St. Augustus after the winter break. Jim Wallis, Courtney’s father, told her that the school is special and he wants her to discover the answer on her own. He tells her that the West Woods are the key. That evening on a dare Courtney is running through the woods when her foot falls into a hole. She discovers a wood box with a key inside. Is this the key her father was referring to? After listening to Ms. Krick’s lecture on the school’s history, the teacher talks to Courtney privately. Ms. Krick wants Courtney’s help in discovering the location of the fountain. She wants to make a wish. Courtney is not sure what to make of Ms. Krick and her rantings. Later, Courtney then receives a map that her father left with her sister, Hanna. The map leads Courtney back into the West Woods where she finds a fountain. She makes a wish not expecting it to actually come true. Once a wish is made, though, it must be fulfilled—no matter what the cost.

The West Woods is a prequel to The Fountain. I found the book to have a good pace, but I was not fully engaged. The West Woods did not hold the same appeal as The Fountain. The West Woods is a young-adult novel that will appeal to tweens and teens (especially with Halloween fast approaching). There was a little too much focus on boys for my taste (it seemed to dominate the first half of the story). I wish there had been less attention on romance and more on the magic. Just when the paranormal action starts to heat up, the book quickly ends (I felt the séance scene was a bust). I felt The West Woods did not live up to its potential (especially after reading The Fountain). I had trouble liking Courtney and especially disliked Violet, the school gossip. It was interesting to find out more about the school and Ms. Krick. My rating for The West Woods is 3 out of 5 stars. I did like the moral of the story. I do recommend checking out The Fountain (I gave it 4.25 stars). ( )