It Lives In The Woods

It Lives In The Woods is the first book of the It Lives series. It is followed by It Lives - Untitled Sequel.

Summary
''Something old and powerful lives in the woods surrounding the small town of Westchester... something that knows your name.''

Chapter 1: Old Friends
"Something old and powerful lives in the woods surrounding the small town of Westchester... something that knows your name."

Chapter 2: What Are You Afraid Of?
"Your former friends gather to discuss a recent string of strange events... but tensions flare when old wounds are reopened. "

Chapter 3: Sticks and Stones
"The decision's been made to go rescue Dan from the woods... but will your old haunt leave you feeling haunted?"

Chapter 4: What's Coming to You
"With Dan's disappearance behind you, things begin to take a turn for the better... Or do they?"

Chapter 5: Buckle Up
"As the first basketball game of the season approaches, Westchester high is suddenly rocked by violent animal attacks..."

Chapter 6: A Bitter Pill to Swallow
"You and your friends visit Dan in the hospital, where you make a shocking discovery..."

Chapter 7: Party Favors
"You and your friends are all invited to a party at Britney's house. How does the old saying go? It's all fun and games..."

Chapter 8: Breakdown
"In the wake of Cody's death, your friends have your back... don't they?"

Chapter 9: Ungrateful
"You've rejected Mr. Red's help... and now he's angry. What consequences will this have for you and your friends?"

Chapter 10: I'm Not Scared
"As Mr. Red's revenge escalates, your friends reunite... and start fighting back!"

Chapter 11: You Again
"Your hunt has led you to Pritch the Witch's front door! What does she know about Mr. Red... and will she help you stop him?"

Chapter 12: Homecoming
"You and your friends have vanquished Mr. Red for good, and just in time for homecoming! This is going to be a night to remember..."

Chapter 13: Fight or Flight
"Homecoming is ruined, Redfield has escaped... and Andy's been kidnapped!"

Chapter 14: In The Dark
"Your rescue plan becomes more dangerous when Redfield turns his former victims against you... "

Chapter 15: Everyone Plays Together
"Secrets come out and things turn deadly... during one last game with an old friend."

Chapter 16: In Memoriam
"One year later... how has life changed for the survivors, and how will the fallen be remembered?"

Gameplay Feature
Unique to the story is a meter system calculating a character's nerve, which determines their mental resilience in the face of certain situations. Certain choices and events in the story will increase or decrease a character's nerve score. Towards the end of the book, each character's final nerve score determines his or her fate, with a higher nerve score increasing a character's chances of survival. Characters with this feature are the main character, Andy, Ava, Dan, Lily, Lucas, Noah, and Stacy.
 * Full = Tough as Nails
 * 3/4 Full = Coping
 * Half Full = On Edge
 * 1/4 Full = Rattled
 * Empty = Haunted

Soundtracks
Other soundtracks can be found here.

Trivia

 * It was originally assumed that this story would follow the tradition of The Haunting of Braidwood Manor, as it was originally posted as one book, but a sequel was confirmed in the final chapter. With the message that "It Lives" will return, it seems that future books will take an anthology approach, with a similar setting and feel, but different characters and plot.
 * Unusual for a Choices story, the first two chapters of the book were made available simultaneously upon its premiere on October 18, 2017.
 * This is the first book to advise player discretion, mentioning that this book contains disturbing scenes, violence, and bullying.
 * Although Chapter 6 of The Haunting of Braidwood Manor featured themes of infanticide and suicide, it did not feature such a disclaimer. It should be pointed out however, that Woods is noticeably darker and gorier than Braidwood, which for most of its chapters was mainly a supernatural mystery.
 * Scenes of bullying are also found in The Freshman and Endless Summer. The bullying in this story appears to focus on more sensitive issues such as transphobia and racism.
 * Violence is common in other stories such as Most Wanted, The Crown and The Flame, Endless Summer, and Hero. However, it is likely the violence in this story will be much more graphic.
 * Along with The Sophomore: Hartfeld Horror Story, this is first official title in Choices' new "SPOOKY THRILLS" genre. The Freshman: Love Bites and The Haunting of Braidwood Manor were retroactively added to this genre.
 * You have the chance to collect several artifacts throughout the story which reveal more about the mystery and unlock bonus scenes, similar to the Clues, Dossiers and Catalyst Idols in Endless Summer.
 * In Chapter 2, your character mentions getting Stacy's phone number from FaceSpace, which is also a social media site in High School Story, giving evidence that this book takes place in the same universe as every other book in Choices.
 * On Thursday October 26, Pixelberry released the soundtrack for the book. and it was also confirmed that Stacy is also a love interest.
 * This is the first Choices book to feature a protagonist diagnosed with a mental illness. In Chapter 6, it is revealed that Dan suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
 * Chapter 12 pays homage to the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, when Britney says to Lily that she hates the way she doesn't hate her (Lily); not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
 * On January 15, 2018 it was announced that the new chapter for It Lives In The Woods would be delay a week and not premiere till January 25, 2018.
 * This is the first book where you can decide the fate of your own character. In addition to determining how many of your friend survive Chapter 15 through their Nerve score, you can choose to have Noah take Jane's place as Redfield or volunteer yourself.
 * Chapter 16 takes place one year after the events of Chapter 15. If your character and their love interests survived, you can choose to have officially started a relationship with Andy, Stacy, Connor, Lucas, or Ava.