Blurb:

Elijah has lived in the Memory Wood for as long as he can remember. It’s the only home he’s ever known.

Elissa has only just arrived. And she’ll do everything she can to escape.

When Elijah stumbles across thirteen-year-old Elissa, in the woods where her abductor is hiding her, he refuses to alert the police. Because in his twelve years, Elijah has never had a proper friend. And he doesn’t want Elissa to leave.

Not only that, Elijah knows how this can end. After all, Elissa isn’t the first girl he’s found inside the Memory Wood.

As her abductor’s behaviour grows more erratic, chess prodigy Elissa realises that outwitting strange, lonely Elijah is her only hope of survival. Their cat-and-mouse game of deception and betrayal will determine both their fates, and whether either of them will ever leave the Memory Wood . . .

Review:

I will admit that it took me a while to become fully engaged with The Memory Wood, but once I did I was absolutely hooked! Sam Lloyd’s writing is so atmospheric and there is a creepiness and sense of foreboding that permeates the pages the whole way through. It’s not easy to read but I definitely 

The characters in The Memory Wood are incredibly well drawn and I love the work that Sam Lloyd does to.make the reader feel anger or sympathy for different characters at different times. The chapters are mostly written from three perspectives: Elijah, Elissa and Mairead and this enhances the effect of this technique and allows the reader to understand the characters in more depth.

I don’t want to describe the plot in too much detail because even the smallest detail could be a spoiler, but I will say the author’s talent for plotting is absolutely immense and I love the way he brings everything together as the story reaches its conclusion.

The Memory Wood is available from Amazon.