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jenhurst's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Alex North’s books just don’t work for me. I DNF’d the whisper man and this book was just boring.
hdelfino's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this thriller. Once I started I couldn't put it down. Good twists with an incredible ending.
honnari_hannya's review
3.0
3.5 stars
For fans of books like THE WITCH ELM by Tana French, or any book by Jane Harper. Creepy, intense, and highly character driven.
A dual timeline story that meanders between the "before" and "after" of an incident that left our main character, Paul, traumatized 25 years ago. I quite liked the way this story was structured, and how Alex North unfurled the story through the novel, revealing bits and pieces of the "real" story the deeper the readers got to know Paul—a really interesting character, whose denial of the past makes him a terrifically unreliable narrator. I also really enjoyed the way North played with our expectations, and how, until the very end, it was never quite clear if this novel was going to make that jump from thriller to horror.
There were a few elements that I don't think worked as well as they could have. The final reveal was slightly disappointing—not quite out of left field, but still a little bit out of place. Especially because the main source of tension was drawn from the fraught relationships between this small, troubled community and the intimate friendship between the four boys at the heart of the novel, and that wasn't necessarily how things were resolved at the very end.
I also didn't really think Detective Amanda Beck played a particularly important role in this story. I have not yet read THE WHISPER MAN, but from what I understand, she features in that novel as well. Here, she mostly took a back seat and appeared only to give us more context about the people Paul lost touch with—a role that could have probably been fulfilled some other way. Her POV chapters were the least interesting parts of the book.
The performances by Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan for the audiobook were terrific. Well paced, clear, and had just the right touch of drama without being over acted.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for providing this free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
For fans of books like THE WITCH ELM by Tana French, or any book by Jane Harper. Creepy, intense, and highly character driven.
A dual timeline story that meanders between the "before" and "after" of an incident that left our main character, Paul, traumatized 25 years ago. I quite liked the way this story was structured, and how Alex North unfurled the story through the novel, revealing bits and pieces of the "real" story the deeper the readers got to know Paul—a really interesting character, whose denial of the past makes him a terrifically unreliable narrator. I also really enjoyed the way North played with our expectations, and how, until the very end, it was never quite clear if this novel was going to make that jump from thriller to horror.
There were a few elements that I don't think worked as well as they could have. The final reveal was slightly disappointing—not quite out of left field, but still a little bit out of place. Especially because the main source of tension was drawn from the fraught relationships between this small, troubled community and the intimate friendship between the four boys at the heart of the novel, and that wasn't necessarily how things were resolved at the very end.
I also didn't really think Detective Amanda Beck played a particularly important role in this story. I have not yet read THE WHISPER MAN, but from what I understand, she features in that novel as well. Here, she mostly took a back seat and appeared only to give us more context about the people Paul lost touch with—a role that could have probably been fulfilled some other way. Her POV chapters were the least interesting parts of the book.
The performances by Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan for the audiobook were terrific. Well paced, clear, and had just the right touch of drama without being over acted.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for providing this free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
melinda_and_her_books's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy of The Shadows in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book but i didn't see it as being creepy at all. I feel like it was more of a murder mystery that messes with your head. It will have you guessing until the very end. There were so many twists and turns in this book. I feel the narrators for the audiobook did a great job. I had less issues with the Netgalley app this time so maybe some of the bugs are being fixed. Like I've said before there are always some technical difficulties when it comes to a new app.
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
5.0
I was not disappointed with this one! I wish I could've had time to sit and read it in one go.
I loved everything about this book. I kinda want to start all over again just to see the bits I missed. There were so many twists, I couldn't keep my head straight! This would be an amazing movie, very chilling and lots of suspense.
OK, I'm hooked! I wish there were more books by Alex North. Definitely a go to author for me, and I'll happily gobble up his next twisty tale.
I loved everything about this book. I kinda want to start all over again just to see the bits I missed. There were so many twists, I couldn't keep my head straight! This would be an amazing movie, very chilling and lots of suspense.
OK, I'm hooked! I wish there were more books by Alex North. Definitely a go to author for me, and I'll happily gobble up his next twisty tale.
lisbethssalamander's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
amandalyn's review against another edition
4.0
This was very spooky and interesting. I really liked the mystery in it. I wish I would have known there was a connection to The Whisper Man, but it was soft enough that it didn’t ruin anything. Definitely going to read it now though. The twists and turns were exciting and unexpected. I really really liked it.
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
As I think about this one, I believe that I liked it better than his previous novel.
Set in the UK, this thriller is alternatively narrated by Paul Adams and a female detective (who's name I forget at the moment). When Paul Adams was a teen, his friend Charlie Crabtree killed one of their mutual friends. Charlie was always a bit of an enigma and strange, trying to stir up fear in others. After he killed his friend, he disappeared. The murder inspired copycat crimes. Now, 25 years later, Paul is dealing with his mom's health issues and is disturbed to hear of another copycat murder.
What to listen to while reading...
Lithium by Nirvana
Alive by Pearl Jam
Epic by Faith No More
Human by Sevdaliza
Dark Child by Marlon Williams
The Place I Left Behind by The Deep Dark Woods
Like the Dream of It by Brooke Annibale
Set in the UK, this thriller is alternatively narrated by Paul Adams and a female detective (who's name I forget at the moment). When Paul Adams was a teen, his friend Charlie Crabtree killed one of their mutual friends. Charlie was always a bit of an enigma and strange, trying to stir up fear in others. After he killed his friend, he disappeared. The murder inspired copycat crimes. Now, 25 years later, Paul is dealing with his mom's health issues and is disturbed to hear of another copycat murder.
What to listen to while reading...
Lithium by Nirvana
Alive by Pearl Jam
Epic by Faith No More
Human by Sevdaliza
Dark Child by Marlon Williams
The Place I Left Behind by The Deep Dark Woods
Like the Dream of It by Brooke Annibale
masibowden's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sargar114's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0