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jaswoahreads's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
darren_f's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this. If you're expecting a fast-paced book with ghosts and a plague, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Instead this is a beautifully written book about acceptance, kindness, grief and family. It's a slow-burn book that doesn't go out of it way to explain anything so if you like everything in a neat bow this will not be the book for you but if you want a book brimming with emotion then look no further.
I really enjoyed this. If you're expecting a fast-paced book with ghosts and a plague, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Instead this is a beautifully written book about acceptance, kindness, grief and family. It's a slow-burn book that doesn't go out of it way to explain anything so if you like everything in a neat bow this will not be the book for you but if you want a book brimming with emotion then look no further.
rags1709's review
3.75
It's a very original concept, I enjoyed it! The pace could have been better, but overall, it's a great blend of mystery and magic with a unique dystopian plot and setting. Thanks Netgalley for an ARC!
mshaniak's review
Just couldn’t get into it. Picked it up so many times and read a page and then put it down. Not for me.
jadehusdanhicks's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Dystopian in it's own unique way this book follows the downfall of the internet where all records are virus like ghosts, as well as haunting these ghosts can infect individuals if they resonate too closely with their memories as well as possessing similar records such as books of their digital stories. When a new strain of ghost infections rise, fear is everpresent and trust between many begins to falter.
Pushed away by her peers Katerina follows Stefan who was mysteriously left to her by his infected father, accused of witchcraft for her herbal practices they journey to find his father and learn more about her herbal practices and a cure for this new infection along the way.
Perfectly recommended for fans of the last of us due to its fungal infection element it was an interesting read with a unique storyline unlike anything I have read before.
From found family, to grief over those lost to the devastation the internets fall left, this book is surprisingly heartwarming and is the perfect read for anyone wanting a bit of mystery and magic with a unique dystopian plot and setting.
arianne777's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
georgiaec's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Katerina's village borders the forest, alive and sentient in a way it never was before the end of the world. Ghosts of the digital age haunt the streets, the houses, the fields, the skies; starting fires and haunting books and infecting humans with their constant quest for electro-chemical belonging. When an unknown boy arrives on Katerina's doorstep with a note from his father, the bees begin to whisper of destruction and plague and nightmares; the villagers whisper of a new disease from the south; the ghosts whisper of drowning and flame. Katerina prepares as best she can, brewing and harvesting and powdering. But when travesty looms, people turn on those who are different. The end of the world hasn't changed that.
This book was so so gorgeous and I feel so special to have been able to read it ahead of publication. I loved the writing, the magic, the characters, the stunning blend of hedge-witch magic and an apocalypse of haunted data. The premise itself, of a world haunted by fragments of the digital age which seek 'belonging' with 'similar' matter (be it biological, digital, or electrical), is honestly the most riveting take on the end of the world since Hell Followed With Us.
The atmosphere of the writing is gorgeously haunted and bright and lush; the way Katerina interacts with the world around her is beautiful and poignant, and her struggles with guilt and belonging and responsibility are so universally relatable and handled with so much understanding and emotion. Despite being so different from her, I felt so deeply connected with her as a character. Her relationships with others – Stefan, Aleksander, Elisabet in particular – are just so real and filled with meaning. And Orlando the cat??? Oh my gosh!
I think the explorations of loneliness and fear of rejection are so so powerful, and are explored in so any different manifestations; I particularly enjoyed the contrasts and similarities between Stefan and Katerina as people who have both been changed irreparably by past experiences and who continue to deal with their lived realities in the way that they can. Stefan's lack of a voice is never treated as a problem. Katerina's fear of others loving and needing and leaving her is something she has to come to terms with on her own, not on anyone else's timetable. Elisabet is not just an ally, but a true friend whom Katerina trusts above all others. Jaakob must face the suffering of others as something beyond his own experiences, despite the loss he carries. All so different but all so universal!
This book was so so gorgeous and I feel so special to have been able to read it ahead of publication. I loved the writing, the magic, the characters, the stunning blend of hedge-witch magic and an apocalypse of haunted data. The premise itself, of a world haunted by fragments of the digital age which seek 'belonging' with 'similar' matter (be it biological, digital, or electrical), is honestly the most riveting take on the end of the world since Hell Followed With Us.
The atmosphere of the writing is gorgeously haunted and bright and lush; the way Katerina interacts with the world around her is beautiful and poignant, and her struggles with guilt and belonging and responsibility are so universally relatable and handled with so much understanding and emotion. Despite being so different from her, I felt so deeply connected with her as a character. Her relationships with others – Stefan, Aleksander, Elisabet in particular – are just so real and filled with meaning. And Orlando the cat??? Oh my gosh!
I think the explorations of loneliness and fear of rejection are so so powerful, and are explored in so any different manifestations; I particularly enjoyed the contrasts and similarities between Stefan and Katerina as people who have both been changed irreparably by past experiences and who continue to deal with their lived realities in the way that they can. Stefan's lack of a voice is never treated as a problem. Katerina's fear of others loving and needing and leaving her is something she has to come to terms with on her own, not on anyone else's timetable. Elisabet is not just an ally, but a true friend whom Katerina trusts above all others. Jaakob must face the suffering of others as something beyond his own experiences, despite the loss he carries. All so different but all so universal!
angiespoto's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about forests. There are three reasons for this, a lovely convergence of seemingly-disparate things: 1. My son and I have been reading the Hobbit, much of which is set in the eerie, spider-infested forest of Mirkwood. 2. I have begun walking more and have been seeking out Scottish woodlands to roam. 3. I have acquired an advanced reader copy of Lorraine Wilson’s We Are All Ghosts in the Forest. I often read more than one book at a time, and I enjoy making connections between two texts, like an unexpected conversation between strangers.
When I walk among the wild garlic of Roslin Glen, I am put in the mind of Mirkwood with its black butterflies and elven fires, and I am also thinking of the post-digital world of Wilson’s Ghosts, where the forests eat digital memories and wolves have been transformed into creatures made of both flesh and human stories. The world of Ghosts, much like Tolkien’s world, is abundant with vivid, unforgettable imagery: a myriad of flora and fauna, ‘dead’ houses haunted by ghosts, and bees that tell the future.
Do you know what else forests put me in the mind of? Fairy stories, which are so clearly woven through both the Hobbit and Ghosts. Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings was inspired by a fairy tale, and he was hugely influenced by Beowulf, certainly a fairy tale of sorts filled with all the expected fairy tale things (a hero, dragons, and coincidences). Ghost’s fairy tale influence is, you could say, more literal. The wolves of fairy tales have merged with real flesh-and-blood wolves to create creatures that are literally distorted by fairy tales. Books of fairy tales are also nearly-sentient beings in the world of Ghosts; they desire to be told and have the power to heal.
Ghosts uses a fascinating premise (a world-wide internet crash releases digital ‘ghosts’ into the world that devour humans in their desire to become whole again) to explore very real questions about community, difference, and trust. The novel’s blending of past (fairy tales) and future (post-digital-apocalypse), natural and technological, is such a surprise and delight.
Ghosts is a stunning novel, which is more than just a compelling premise. It’s an intricately-woven tale that blends fairy stories, contemporary anxieties about climate change and the influence of technology on our human selves, with a story that is, at its core, a tale of community and connection. I’m already looking forward to reading it again.
When I walk among the wild garlic of Roslin Glen, I am put in the mind of Mirkwood with its black butterflies and elven fires, and I am also thinking of the post-digital world of Wilson’s Ghosts, where the forests eat digital memories and wolves have been transformed into creatures made of both flesh and human stories. The world of Ghosts, much like Tolkien’s world, is abundant with vivid, unforgettable imagery: a myriad of flora and fauna, ‘dead’ houses haunted by ghosts, and bees that tell the future.
Do you know what else forests put me in the mind of? Fairy stories, which are so clearly woven through both the Hobbit and Ghosts. Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings was inspired by a fairy tale, and he was hugely influenced by Beowulf, certainly a fairy tale of sorts filled with all the expected fairy tale things (a hero, dragons, and coincidences). Ghost’s fairy tale influence is, you could say, more literal. The wolves of fairy tales have merged with real flesh-and-blood wolves to create creatures that are literally distorted by fairy tales. Books of fairy tales are also nearly-sentient beings in the world of Ghosts; they desire to be told and have the power to heal.
Ghosts uses a fascinating premise (a world-wide internet crash releases digital ‘ghosts’ into the world that devour humans in their desire to become whole again) to explore very real questions about community, difference, and trust. The novel’s blending of past (fairy tales) and future (post-digital-apocalypse), natural and technological, is such a surprise and delight.
Ghosts is a stunning novel, which is more than just a compelling premise. It’s an intricately-woven tale that blends fairy stories, contemporary anxieties about climate change and the influence of technology on our human selves, with a story that is, at its core, a tale of community and connection. I’m already looking forward to reading it again.
rachael_amber's review
Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I stopped at 11%. I found it confusing and just couldn't get into it.
bookishlybold's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0