Review: The Deep Dark Woods
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2013
This was a wonderful first attempt by Aubrey Rose at a really interesting and different take on the shifter genre.  I enjoyed it a lot!I was kind of curious where this one was going to go at first, because of how it started.  The title eludes to it, and the blurb explains it, but I really didn't know quite how a blind shifter story could work.  Scents and everything makes sense, but what else?  How exactly does this work?I think the thing I liked the most about the general premise of the story is that Damien's pack is all mostly outcasts, who have been harmed or become disabled in some way in the past.  They're kind of the misfits who don't belong anywhere, and them trying to find a place to call their home is especially intriguing because of that.  You always think of shifters as kind of the alpha and the strongest of anything, but not everyone can be the strongest, you know?  Even still, they're more powerful than the average human and they don't let their disabilities get in the way of putting up a fight when the time calls for it, either.  It was nice to have some underdogs to root for.I've read Me, Cinderella? by Aubrey Rose, and I liked the tones of a somewhat fairytale in that one, so I adored the vague insinuations of Red Riding Hood in this one, too.  That was a lot of fun, and while it didn't stick out to me at first, the more the story goes on, the more it makes sense (and the more the characters throw mention to it).  It was just a nice little addition, I think.In regards to the ending, which I think could be construed as somewhat disappointing, I actually liked it.  It was happy and set the scene for good things to come, but there's also a few questions left unanswered.  It wasn't bad, or a cliffhanger, but just letting us know that there is definitely more and we should expect exciting things in the future.  The book in and of itself was a great standalone read and exciting, though.  I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with everyone in the future, though!I'm really curious about Katherine and Kyle, too.  They weren't really the main focus of anything, but I liked their little sub-story and I hope there's more about them in later books.