It would be hard for any writer to follow up a fantastic book like Wanders, which was very long but gripped me the entire time. This book had a cast of characters that were more on the outside of society and struggling with their place in their own worlds and the world they created together in their past. I struggled with some of the more fantasy elements of the story. Wendig's writing was quite good as normal, but I just struggled with some of the backstories adding up for each character in this one.

I didn’t care for this one at all. The ideas were too abstract, it was too confusing and there weren’t any characters to root for. A rare dud for Wendig, who I typically love.

The Staircase in the Woods had so much potential but never met the expectations I had for it. Chuck Wendig always has fascinating hooks and story setups and while this book had that, I felt Wendig never takes full effect with it and only looks at it surface level.

I will not be giving feedback for this book. I was unaware of the genera I do not read paranormal horror

It was the perfect book to start the year with. The story was so gripping and fast-paced (at times repetitive, though 🙄), I couldn’t put it down. It was definitely atmospheric, spooky, I could imagine/feel myself being there with the characters.
Although the political agenda seemed mannered and there were plot holes, I had a fantastic time. I can absolutely recommend this book but check the TWs.
4.5 ⭐️ rounded down.

Told in dueling timelines, this book revolves around 5 high school friends who dub their group "the covenant" and the covenant is envoked whenever one of them needs help from the other.

In high school, the 5 of them embark on a camping trip that will forever change their lives and their bond. They come across a random staircase that doesn't seem to go anywhere, and likewise doesn't seem like it came from an abandoned home either. When one of the 5 climbs the stairs and disappears along with the steps, their future is forever altered.

As adults, the group (who were no longer really a group) tried to stay in touch but old wounds and that fateful night make it too hard. Owen is suffering from PTSD and severe anxiety, Lor is a successful game designer but lonely, Hamish now lives a white picket fence life with his wife and kids, and Nick remains obsessed with finding out what happened to their friend, Matty, all those years ago.

Nick reaches out to everyone, invoking the covenant, on grounds that he is dying of cancer and wants to see everyone one more time. When they all get out there, Nick has other plans on mind.... And they involve a staircase in the middle of the woods.

This was SO GOOD 80% through, but it started to get really repetitive and Owen started to get insufferable. I also not only wanted, but needed, more from the ending. But once again, another great book from Chuck Wendig!

This book was scary, mysterious, but it kept me glued to it until I finished it.

I really loved the plot twists, the mystery, the interactions between the characters. It’s an unconventional coming to an age book, in which the main characters are bound by trauma.

I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to read more from this author.

This book has an extremely slow start. I’m not going to lie, it took me so long to read it, because I just couldn’t get myself involved or interested enough. It does get better, but it was not one of my favorites. It’s a good read for fans of eerie tales though.

Chuck Wendig is able to keep you absolutely hooked jnto another bendy, twisty, and secretly heartwrenching story. Be prepared to look around every corner, under every bed, and in any new place question its past.

Staircase in the Woods follows a group of friends who reunite years after one member of their friend group "disappeared" during one a teenage camping trip. After climbing a mysterious staircase to nowhere in the middle of the woods, he just...vanished.

Now brought back together as adults, bound by a covenant of friendship, the group comes upon the staircase again. Will they be able to find their missing friend or will they lose themselves along the way?

Staircase in the Woods took a LONG time to get into the wild and fun stuff. There were a lot of POVs that jumped from character to character but also through time from when everyone was a teen to the present storyline - it was a lot to keep track of and the blips into the past felt kind of meh. When the book did kick it up to eleven with some scares and horror, the story was a perfect blend of terror and anxiety inducing fiction.

Definitely check trigger warnings before beginning this book. Overall I didn't really enjoy the story, political agenda, confusing, plot holes, slow paced and open ended. None of which are my favorite things to read.

Sinopsis en español:

escalera en el bosque en esta fascinante novela de terror del autor superventas del New York Times de The Book of Accidents.

Cinco amigos de la escuela secundaria están unidos por un juramento de protegerse unos a otros pase lo que pase.

Luego, en un viaje de campamento en medio del bosque, encuentran algo extraordinario: una misteriosa escalera a ninguna parte.

Un amigo se acerca y nunca vuelve a bajar. Entonces la escalera desaparece.

Veinte años después, la escalera ha reaparecido. Ahora el grupo regresa para encontrar al niño perdido, y lo que yace más allá de la escalera en el bosque...






Reseña: 3.5⭐️



La historia fue entretenida y espeluznante. Me gustó que fueras desde el punto de vista de diferentes personajes ya que eso me permitió conocer mejor a todos y tener una mejor idea d ello que estaba pasando.

This was so intense and I love the story plot! The description and writing was so well done and made me feel like I was actually there. I just wanted to keep reading until I found out what was going on, so entertaining.

Chuck Wendig again does an excellent job of making an inexplainable concept (I.e evil apples, staircase in the woods) become your reality as you read this book. A little bit of horror and suspense but an ever growing need for answers keeps the pages turning with this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, Random House Worlds, Del Ray and Inklore for an early copy of this in exchange for an honest opinion/review!

With an eerie, creepy horror vibe, The Staircase in the Woods sets up an intriguing and unique premise: a group of troubled friends form a bond they call the Covenant. One fateful day, they venture into the woods and encounter a mysterious staircase. When one of them climbs it and disappears, the group's dynamic unravels. Five go in, but only four come out.

I loved the descriptive writing, creating a vivid and unsettling atmosphere, and the clever chapter titles paired with quick chapters kept the pacing brisk, at least at first. However, as the story progressed, it started to feel repetitive and dragged in places, which took away from the initial suspense.

While it’s listed across several genres: fiction, horror, and mystery—it will likely appeal to fans of a specific genre like paranormal mystery. For me, the story fell a little flat, but the concept and strong atmosphere make it worth exploring if you’re drawn to unique, eerie tales.

As someone who grew up reading creepypasta stories and Reddit no sleep stories, the “staircase in the woods” idea is no stranger in my life. So, when I saw Chuck Wendig wrote a book all about a mysterious staircase in the woods, I knew I had to get my hands on it!

The book starts out at quite a slow pace. The first half of the book is character building, a few flashbacks since there are dual timelines, and an idea into how the friend group has fallen apart since the ordeal in the woods from their childhood. I didn’t find myself invested in the characters, we see a lot of arguments and ugliness between our friends in the first half of the book, but it does get better later on. The slow start was a drag for me, however when we finally see our friends ascend the staircase that’s when I started getting more invested! The second half of the book held my attention a lot better and I enjoyed the constant feeling of uneasiness it brought. The story revolves around our group of friends- their anger, trauma, resentment, regret. As the story dives deeper, the readers learn more about our little group and what it is that has made them who they are.
Although I enjoyed the second half, the story tends to be quite repetitive and I do feel like it could have been cut down if that wasn’t the case.

All and all, I did enjoy this story and I’m so happy I was able to read it early

The Staircase in the Woods is a tale of 5 teenagers and their bond with each other once one of them goes missing. The story explores each of how they each react to the missing member and how they deal with the consequences as a group. The best part of the story is what they find at the top of the staircase and attempt to figure out what is real and what is not.

I felt the ending could have been explained in more detail. Seems like a cliffhanger for another book or to use your imagination on what happens next. I wanted more.

In June of 1998, five high schoolers enter the woods. One of them ("the popular one") climbs a staircase and disappears, never to be seen again. Twenty years later the friends are reunited. They have all had trouble moving on. They are all a mess. How can they band together to fix what happened back then?

This is such a hard one to review without giving spoilers. The book alternates between present day and back to what happened in 1998. Like many of Wendig's books, while it is at moments very creepy and scary, there are still undercurrents of friendship and hope for humanity with a few jabs at that real-life orange monster that we all love to hate.

I wasn't sure my thoughts when I first started the book. I think it took me awhile to warm up to the characters and to really become invested, but there was also a lot of nostalgia because if these characters were real I would only be 2 or 3 years older than them. As I went along I became very invested, though. Wendig does a great job of creating distinct personalities for all five friends and it is easy to see how they all become so close when they all have important things missing in their lives. There are a lot of creepy, jump-scare moments. A lot of "blech!". A lot of fun.

I will let you know that we do get to see what is at the top of those stairs and it is terrifying. Repeatedly. :)

A lot of people will like this book......I'm just not one of them (largely because I'm not . There's a lot of potential here and it has a great atmosphere, but there's also a lot of plot holes and confusion. I didn't particularly care about the characters and therefore didn't really root for them

I was so excited to read this but felt wholly let down. I knew it would be kind of out there but honestly, I was confused more than I wasn't and didn't connect with any of the characters. The premise was promising but overall, it wasn't enjoyable for me and felt like a slog to get through.