Sadly my phone which I was using to read this book screen had broken and so sadly I couldn't finish the book because it was past the archive date and I couldn't download it onto a different device. I only got a chapter or so read but the storyline was hooking, I really wished I could of finished this book.

Out of the Woods
by B.B. Swann
What a great young adult book, would love to share it with my students in late elementary and middle school. The idea that limiting people by oppressively structured society is more universal now in the crisis we have lived in the last year. The magical society is restricted, which left many questioning if the ideas are right. The children affected most are the ones to stand up for their families, and their own choices. This book shows how the truth will free you. Great inspiration to young students.

***May contain spoilers***

Zaidyn is a bookworm. His best friend Iggy is preoccupied with Zaidyn's sex life or lack of sex life. Zaidyn is at the library and experiences a magical episode, but he thinks it's something else. Iggy shows up, and they go out for ice cream. The Northside Dairy ice cream shop is crowded with kids from school. Zaidyn likes Piper Duke. There's something magical going on with Zaidyn. He describes it as a disembodied feeling. He thinks he's having a stroke or out of body experience. The same thing happened at the library earlier. Iggy wants to say hello to Piper. Zaidyn tells him no. Iggy is trying to set Zaidyn up with Piper. Piper is trying to convince the student council they need to institute a mandatory recycling program at school, but negotiations have stalled. Piper was always looking out for the environment. Melody is having a back-to-school bonfire that night. Iggy offers to pick Piper up. Zaidyn begs off using the excuse that his mom needs his help with something, and he has to go home early that night. Piper says the same thing: she's got stuff to do. Zaidyn wakes in the middle of the night with his back on the ceiling. He's floating nine feet above his bed. He hears his parents' voices chanting in Latin. He feels like he's in the Matrix. He thinks he's still dreaming. He drops breaking the support boards on his bed, and bouncing off the mattress, he ends up on the floor. His parents hear the racket and rush into his room. He tells them he had a bad dream and fell. His mom asks him if he wants to talk about it. His mom reads his mind to find out exactly what happened to Zaidyn. His mom tells him they unlocked his abilities. His mom tells him not to leave, to let them explain. His dad tells him everything he's feeling is normal and they need to complete the cycle. Zaidyn tells them not to come near him and that he's not staying there. He tells them he doesn't even know who they are. He jumps out the window and sees his dad flying behind him. Now, he's flying. His parents tell him he's a wizard. They're both wizards, too. They tell him to keep the fact that he's a wizard secret and not to get caught doing magic. They tell him to go to Ms. Aeschliman, the biology teacher because she teaches kids like him. Mr. Duke, Zaidyn's English teacher, wants to speak with him privately. He asks him about his summer and if he's heard about the city's proposed plan for the new library. Mr. Duke needs Zaidyn to form a student-led group showing support for a new library. If the people involved see how important it is to the kids, he thinks they'll be more open-minded and come to a compromise that is good for both sides. Zaidyn tells Mr. Duke he's not the one for that job. Iggy catches Zaidyn staring at Piper again and says that he'll set them up. Zaidyn's magic pushes Iggy. Blake is interested in Piper. Iggy tells him he heard she was interested in someone, and says maybe he shouldn't bother her. Blake tells him to mind his own business, and says interested doesn't mean taken. Zaidyn levitates in the gym and finds out Iggy is a demon. Iggy tells Zaidyn he's not evil. Iggy is a lust demon. Iggy paused time because of Zaidyn's levitation. Ms. A is going to erase everyone's memories of what they saw. She turns into a unicorn. Piper holds a stronger memory of what happened because she was watching more closely. Zaidyn makes it up and down the rope ladder without further incident. Zaidyn is supposed to meet Ms. A after school. Blake wants to sit with Piper in class. Piper tells him she's saving the seat for someone. Zaidyn asks Piper if he can sit next to her and she lets him. He offers to help her with Trig. She gives him her phone number. He tells his best friend he got Piper's phone number and didn't ask her out. He tells him he's going to tutor Piper in trig. They both go into Ms. A's classroom. Melody Dawson, Piper's best friend, is there. Gabby Blanco, the only girl Iggy's taken on more than one date is there also. Ms. A morphs into this guy named Ky Muto. Ky Muto had taken the form of Ms. A because he's a skin-changer. Zaidyn uses magic to punch Ky in the face without using his fists. Ky changes into a tiger and is after Zaidyn. The real Ms. A shows up. She resets Ky's mental hard drive as a punishment for him changing into her. She said Zaidyn's already learned his lesson for today and tells him only to use his magic around his parents. Then she sends everyone home. Gabby turns out to be an angel. Zaidyn goes over his day with his parents. They tell him unicorns control the fantasy world. They're not allowed to marry outside their kind. They warn him to stay away from Melody. He learns Melody is a selkie. Piper's approval for the recycling program at school came in. She is now the official Recycling Liaison for the student body. Melody invites Zaidyn to a pool party for her birthday. Zaidyn calls Iggy. He thinks Zaidyn's messing around with Melody. He tells him to go to Ms. A immediately. She tells Zaidyn to stay away from Piper because if she brings out that kind of reaction in him, she's too dangerous. Ms. A is concerned for other people, and what he might do with his untrained magic in a fit of jealousy. He nearly sent a knife hurling at Blake Bennington because he was flirting with Piper. In Ms. A's class after school, Zaidyn will be learning how to control his magic. Ms. A tells them that emotions don't control their magic, but they're the key to harnessing their power. Love and hate are the most effective in that regard, but fear is also a potent motivator. Zaidyn invites Piper to a bonfire Iggy's having. She says she has a lot of work to do for a project and that she's a little overwhelmed. She's not even sure where to start. Her dad is building the new library. Zaidyn's parents are the powers of attorney for the landowners. Nobody seems to know who owns it. Piper thinks the papers listing the owners of the land were removed from the file at the courthouse. She thinks they were removed to free up the land for purchase. Piper is going to stop her dad from building the new library. She tells Zaidyn she has nothing against a new library. She has an issue with where they want to build it. She wants to stop them from cutting down all the trees on that land. They'll have to cut down three times as many trees as they'll re-plant. And tons of animals on that land would lose their homes. Piper tells Zaidyn if they sit back and watch corporate America destroy one seemingly insignificant habitat for the sake of progress before they know it, they'll have destroyed everything. They have to stand up and fight for the things that can't fight for themselves. Piper tells him the owners need to fight for their land, or it could become private property through the process of eminent domain. The project would move ahead without any hope of stopping it. Mr. Muto, the nursery owner is trying to stop the project as well as a couple other shop owners. Iggy's dad has been pretty outspoken. He comes to all the meetings. He says his car dealership would be affected the most because the traffic would have to be diverted due to construction. Ms. A also wants the library built someplace else. Zaidyn goes to the party hosted by Iggy's parents. He overhears Iggy's parents talking about him. Zaidyn's dad won't let Zaidyn's mom tell him something. Melody gives Zaidyn a hug. Zaidyn tells Ky he's never seen him at one of Iggy's parties. Zaidyn sees Piper with Blake at the party. Iggy is mad at Zaidyn for not responding to his texts or returning his phone calls. Piper had tried to talk to Zaidynj, but the second her texts popped up on his phone, he deleted them. Mr. Duke asks Zaidyn to stay behind after class. He asks Zaidyn about helping with the library project. He invites him to come and speak as a representative of the kids and show his support at the council meeting. Zaidyn tells Mr. Duke he knows they need a new building, but he thinks there's something to the argument to use a different location. Mr. Duke disagrees. He thinks the location is perfect because it's close to the biggest neighborhoods in town and surrounded by a beautiful setting. He says the lake and trees set a perfect backdrop. Mr. Duke suggests Zaidyn start a petition to get signatures from students who support it. Writing the petition only takes Zaidyn a few minutes. Piper wants to talk to him about what happened Friday night at Iggy's party. Zaidyn goes to Ms. A's class. There's a strange man there named Lord Blackwood. He's the leader of the unicorns who thinks he can tell them all what to do. He says they will no longer be meeting as a group. From then on, their parents will be instructing them on the magic of their kind. Blackwood says their shenanigans have gone unrestricted. And Ms. Aeschliman has been too lenient with the laws on mating. Blackwood says that mixing the races doesn't make magic stronger. It creates mutants with no magical power. Blackwood is more like a King than a President. A few people over the decades tried to fight but they paid a heavy price. Zaidyn goes to his house and sees Ms. A there. Piper told Ms. A she was upset with Zaidyn. Ms. A tells Zaidyn it would be helpful if he doesn't work on the library project for Mr. Duke, Piper's father. Ms. A tells him the project has issues that need to be addressed. Zaidyn's mom says the owners of the land do not want it developed for anything. Ms. A says an anonymous donor has promised to pay double for every dollar the city spends on the project. The city has said that if an agreement can't be reached soon, they would seek to invoke the eminent domain laws and purchase the property. It's going to take the community fighting together to stop it, for something to change. They need to get the city to agree to look for a different location. Zaidyn shows up at the council meeting and sees Piper. Zaidyn is going to speak in favor of the library project. Nobody has thought to ask the most important question which is where they should build the new library. Zaidyn wants them to think about what's really the best thing to do, not for the library, but for the future. The mayor tells him they have decided what's best for their community. To use the wooded area on the north side of town. They have the backing of a very wealthy benefactor and have recently secured the right to purchase the property under the jurisdiction of eminent domain. Zaidyn tells her that some for reasons of their own, want a different area. He tells her they don't need to tear down trees and displace wildlife for the project to be successful. Zaidyn asks for an extension of time to consider alternate locations for the new library, bases on community input. He has a signed petition from over a thousand voters who feel the same. The mayor calls for a vote on tabling the library project until alternate locations can be discussed as reflected in the desires of the community. Zaidyn gets the courage to ask Piper out. She tells him her dad doesn't want her to date. She tells him it's not just her dad; she has issues with relationships because of her mom. Her mom left and she thinks that's why her dad doesn't let her date. He's afraid it will happen to her. She lied; saying she needed help with Trig was her excuse to get him to talk to her. Piper has liked him for a long time but she never thought he liked her and hoped it was because he was too shy to say anything. They both share a first kiss. Her dad catches them. Iggy calls Zaidyn and tells him Melody's having her birthday pool party. He asks him if he wants to go. Iggy tells him Piper will be there too. Zaidyn shares another kiss with Piper. Piper is able to steal magical auras. Piper and Zaidyn are dating, she wants to check out the woods. There's someone in the woods with them who Zaidyn perceives as dangerous. He tells Piper he's a wizard. Piper doesn't believe him. He conjures up a white rose for her, and she ends up believing him. Whoever was in the woods used Piper's feelings. He tells his parents he's dating Piper. Piper's dad wants to speak to Zaidyn a moment. Zaidyn and Piper go out to eat. Iggy thinks Piper's changing Zaidyn. He thinks Zaidyn needs to talk to Ms. A about Piper. She went to a student council meeting, and says everyone seemed to be in favor of their senior project, that they voted unanimously to do the recycling program, but yesterday, they didn't want to talk about the project at all even though that's the reason they were meeting. Every time she started the discussion, someone would change the subject and talk about the library. Ms. A wants to talk to Zaidyn about Piper. He goes back into the woods to find out what the deal is with Piper. Taliyah, Piper's mom is the one who wants her back. The vines curl around Zaidyn trapping him. His parents show up to rescue him. His mom tells him that he and Piper are connecting as mates. He's about to tell Piper that her mom is a magical being and had to leave because she wasn't supposed to fall in love with a human, and that if the unicorns find out, all hell could break loose. They made love, and Piper already knows she's magic. Her mother is a dryad. They go to Ky's house to tell the others. Gabby says that Piper may be the first half-breed. Zaidyn tells them Taliyah wants to help. Zaidyn tells them that Taliyah told him that she can't leave the island. She doesn't want anything to happen to Piper since she's trying to stop Evan. Piper comes over to Zaidyn's house to practice magic with his parents. Zaidyn is at the student council and they are discussing an alternate location for the library. It will costs them less than the lake land would. They can purchase the strip mall without a donation. An anonymous benefactor is very adamant that the property around the lake is the most appropriate spot for the project to proceed. The mayor says the investor wants what's best for the town. Blackwood is planning to start clearing the island the next day. He threatens Mayor Himmel telling her to make sure that happens or he'll have to come back and persuade her himself. The group goes to the woods to find Evan. Ky is in disguise as Blackwood. Evan discovers the deception and sends the vines after Zaidyn again and now they also wrap around Piper. Blackwood shows up pleased that Evan got the upper hand over the kiddos. Blackwood isn't just after Zaidyn; he's also after Piper. Evan helps them escape. Piper's mom comes to them. Zaidyn tells Taliyah Blackwood's plans for the island. Piper finds her tree. Zaidyn finds his tree. Evan is Taliyah's brother. They run back to the forest to help Evan defeat Blackwood. Iggy meets them there and is there to help them. Ky has joined the fight in the form of a tiger. Gabby brings Blackwood and the rest of them to their knees. Blackwood says Taliyah and Evan are trying to overthrow the unicorns, and start a revolution. Taliyah says that's not true, that they just want freedom for the dryads. Blackwood wants Zaidyn and Piper because they're proof that crossbreeding works. The unicorns won't let them be with whomever they love because it improves the magical genes, and makes the hybrids stronger than the sires. He says if they allow magical beings to crossbreed, someone will try to subdue them and take away their power. Blackwood bribed the city to build the library there to have them cut down the trees and eliminate the dryads and their proof that crossbreeding works. Melody was there recording the whole thing on her phone. Blackwood is put to sleep and bound and is transported from the island by the other unicorns and they will punish him accordingly. Ms. A are reunited with each other and their baby.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. It was ok. I was confused several times while reading it, and I still have more questions about how Zaidyn has dryad magic and what the story is there. I assume this will be covered in the next books, but it just left several things unresolved for me.