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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The writing was pretty, although sometimes I was really confused what some of the descriptions meant (seriously, someone please explain how a "spider-web sticky" voice would sound).
The names were also pretty confusing; literally everyone in the first 2/3s of the book has a name that starts with R? It was a little annoying. And I'm still not over the fact that the MC's name is Rhea but everyone just calls her "Ree." Like why did you name her Rhea to begin with? Why is "Ree" an acceptable nickname? I just--
Loved th first half. I was completely roped in. I also definitely wasn't on board with thewhole castle/takeover the kingdom thing in the last 1/3. I was enjoying the whole mystery of the shadow boy and the disappearing siblings, so the last 1/3 left me disappointed. The ending was even more annoying. Like- the whole problem of the first 2/3s of the book was that the MC was dreaming?? And at the end she's like "dw guys, I know the kingdom is falling apart, but I have a plan ;)" and her plan was just to PUT THE ENTIRE KINGDOM ASLEEP SO THAT THEY ALL SHARED A DREAM WORLD. IF SOME OTHER KINGDOM ATTACKS THEM THEY'RE ALL SCREWED BECAUSE E V E R Y O N E IS SLEEPING
Also, can someone p l e a s e explain to me how and why the King had to eat the hearts of the magic people. I was so confused. It didn't make any sense. Rose literally gave her magic to the Mom WITHOUT having to sacrifice her heart?? Meanwhile King Dude has to eat hearts to get magic??? And he eats them continually??? I'm just gonna assume he likes to eat human flesh
Anyway, the book had potential, but I feel like I didn't really go anywhere. If you're intrigued by the premise, I say give it a try.
The names were also pretty confusing; literally everyone in the first 2/3s of the book has a name that starts with R? It was a little annoying. And I'm still not over the fact that the MC's name is Rhea but everyone just calls her "Ree." Like why did you name her Rhea to begin with? Why is "Ree" an acceptable nickname? I just--
Loved th first half. I was completely roped in. I also definitely wasn't on board with the
Anyway, the book had potential, but I feel like I didn't really go anywhere. If you're intrigued by the premise, I say give it a try.
medio confuso pero piola
me re gusto el final
te amo varon
me re gusto el final
te amo varon
No siento que fuera el mejor libro que leía, pero creo que sin duda me sorprendio la manera en la que las dos historias principales se unieron, además de que siento que los personajes en general son muy bonitos, y que tuvo puntos extra porque hubo capitulos que en mi causaron miedo, pero si me costo mucho conectar con la trama, entonces por eso no creo que pueda darle más de 3 estrellas, pero si siento que cualquier otra persona podría leerlo rapido, ademas de que los dos mundos que narran si me gustaron y mas la manera en que lo describe la autora
This is going to be painful to write.
This book started so strong. The two different story lines (the witch of the woods and the girl with visions) was super interesting.
I had my qualms with the the second story line—it was explained how old Rhea was but was said how old her 4 sisters were until later on... I spent a majority of the book thinking they were real young... like 4-5.
ASIDE from that, the second part of the book just went all downhill. The creatures in the woods were friggen weird. I’m all for cool and different creatures but these were just ???????? The story line became really REALLY confusing and difficult to follow. The writing was really choppy and made it hard to enjoy what I was reading.
I just wanted it to end.
This book started so strong. The two different story lines (the witch of the woods and the girl with visions) was super interesting.
I had my qualms with the the second story line—it was explained how old Rhea was but was said how old her 4 sisters were until later on... I spent a majority of the book thinking they were real young... like 4-5.
ASIDE from that, the second part of the book just went all downhill. The creatures in the woods were friggen weird. I’m all for cool and different creatures but these were just ???????? The story line became really REALLY confusing and difficult to follow. The writing was really choppy and made it hard to enjoy what I was reading.
I just wanted it to end.
4.25⭐
Fue una lectura totalmente atrapante, me gusta mucho cuando tenemos diferentes puntos de vistas y que las historias poco a poco se van entrelazando.
Me gustó el desarrollo de la historia, pero siento que le falto algo... no se que es haha, pero a mi parecer le faltó algo para que fuera genial el libro.. a la mejor porque es una fantasía autoconclusiva no terminé siendo muy fan porque sentí que se resolvieron muy rápido las cosas... puede que sea eso.
Pero en general fue una historia totalmente disfrutable, me gustó el tipo de magia que se implementó y todos los seres mágicos que aparecieron
Fue una lectura totalmente atrapante, me gusta mucho cuando tenemos diferentes puntos de vistas y que las historias poco a poco se van entrelazando.
Me gustó el desarrollo de la historia, pero siento que le falto algo... no se que es haha, pero a mi parecer le faltó algo para que fuera genial el libro.. a la mejor porque es una fantasía autoconclusiva no terminé siendo muy fan porque sentí que se resolvieron muy rápido las cosas... puede que sea eso.
Pero en general fue una historia totalmente disfrutable, me gustó el tipo de magia que se implementó y todos los seres mágicos que aparecieron
This book was very different from other books I have read. I love that part about it. To me, this book had a sleeping beauty feel sort of for me. Rhea has visions that are not very good ones. Creepy to be exact! Do you want to play the game with the young man? I really enjoyed this book. It was an exciting and unique read. *This book was given to me for free at my request NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed parts of this book. The writing was wonderful and the characters were unique and described well.
This book is split into 2 parts and I feel like the parts don’t go together at all. It almost felt like 2 different books to me. This was the only part that I didn’t really like.
As I was getting toward the end of the book, I was planning on giving it a lower rating. But I thought of my overall enjoyment of the book and despite feeling like 2 separate books that had nothing to do with one another, I really did like it.
I never found myself bored or not wanting to read. I got through it rather quickly and enjoyed every minute of it.
I think my favorite character was Gabrielle, although I really liked Rhea and her parents too. The darkness was so scary at first. It had my heart racing every time it was mentioned. It was such a fun addition to the first part.
Once I got to the second part, I felt like everything went really quickly and was wrapped up too fast. It all came together to make sense, but I just wish there was a little more to the ending as well as meshing the 2 parts together.
I really enjoyed parts of this book. The writing was wonderful and the characters were unique and described well.
This book is split into 2 parts and I feel like the parts don’t go together at all. It almost felt like 2 different books to me. This was the only part that I didn’t really like.
As I was getting toward the end of the book, I was planning on giving it a lower rating. But I thought of my overall enjoyment of the book and despite feeling like 2 separate books that had nothing to do with one another, I really did like it.
I never found myself bored or not wanting to read. I got through it rather quickly and enjoyed every minute of it.
I think my favorite character was Gabrielle, although I really liked Rhea and her parents too. The darkness was so scary at first. It had my heart racing every time it was mentioned. It was such a fun addition to the first part.
Once I got to the second part, I felt like everything went really quickly and was wrapped up too fast. It all came together to make sense, but I just wish there was a little more to the ending as well as meshing the 2 parts together.
You can find my full review on my blog, The Writerly Way.
The blurb had all the dark, creepy, fairy tale vibes, and I was all here for that.
The Waking Forest is a twisting tale of darkness, mystery, surrealism, and … foxes! And who the heck doesn’t love foxes?!
The plot is told in two storylines: Rhea, the girl who can see the world decaying and dying around her, and the Witch in the Woods, who grants wishes to children.
Each story had something to offer. Rhea was banter and mystery. The Witch in the Woods is dark and surreal. But both have foxes. And let’s be honest, that’s really the important part here, right?
My Thoughts:
- The writing was really beautiful in places and evocative and thought-provoking. There were so many sections that just gripped me and made me pause because of how much they rang true. The prose itself was a bit of a double-edged sword for me (more on that in a minute). But sometimes, just sometimes, it was so dang accurate that it caught me off-guard and I really had to re-read it to absorb the whole thing. Sections were poignant and relatable and capture the essence of feelings so perfectly.
- The Waking Forest is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and it does a fantastic job of capturing that fairy tale feel. I will say that I thought this was lost in the last third or so of the book, but for the first two parts? Phew. It had all the creepy, sinister vibes of something about to happen, like the real fairy tales (not the Disney sort). Wees masterfully blended whimsical fantasy and imagery with painful and emotional plots, marrying the two in what ended up being a delightfully surreal read.
- As a sister of sisters, my favorite thing about this story was easily the banter. And banter they do. You know, as teen girls will. When the four R’s get together, what happens is glorious and snarky and delicious. Pretty much every time they’re all there.
- This is a story within a story … within a story. It’s bookception. But in a cool way. The two storylines, at first, seem like they have nothing in common, but bit by bit, they come together as the story unfolds. Wees cleverly drops hints and clues that, if you pay attention, tie the two together, and I had inklings pretty early on of how they were connected. Yet, I wasn’t disappointed when the two finally aligned, because I didn’t feel like I had guessed a plot twist. I felt, instead, like this was a journey I was on and it had reached its natural destination, that of course it would end here all along. Mostly because it wasn’t presented as a plot twist or a gotcha, and that felt nice.
- Wees cleverly alludes to other fairy tales in the prose, and it’s kind of cool. I mean, sometimes. This is another one of those double-edged swords. I actually can’t talk too much about this because of spoilers, but it’s always nice, in my opinion, when there’s a little nod to other source material. But here’s the downfall for me: I expected them to have more importance or weight in the story, and they don’t. I mean, the allusions are pretty heavy-handed and in your face, so you really can’t miss them. So I expected, at first, that of course they would add up to something. But no. They basically just show up as name drops and are gone, without any real bearing on the story.
Sticking Points:
- All the main characters’ names began with the letter R. I have a really tiny mammal brain, and it basically overheated trying to tell them all apart. There’s the parents, Reece and Rafael Ravenna. Then, there’s the girls. Four of them. Rhea (aka Ree) is the protagonist, but then there’s also Rose, Raisa, and Renata (aka Ren). As the protagonist, Rhea was easy to remember, and Rose was easy enough, but for the life of me, I couldn’t keep Raisa and Renata straight. Then, you add on the fact that their last name is Ravenna, and it’s just too much for me.
- While beautiful, the writing is a bit … purple. There’s so much figurative language clogging up the prose that I sometimes had difficulty figuring out what was happening, and they didn’t all make sense. Now, if you’re a fan of purple prose … this is your book. This is your jam. You will for sure love this, because it is quite lovely. But for me personally, it was just too much.
- Things are repeated. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. In triplicate, often. I actually have no idea why this is? I guess three’s supposed to be a pretty lucky/magical number? Maybe it has some relation to fairy tales that I’m not aware of. But the prose was so repetitive in places, repeating things three times for seemingly no reason. Well, that’s not true. I imagine it was for dramatic effect. But it was done so often that it just ended up annoying me.
- The last third of the book changes in tone and ends up more of a protagonist goes on a quest to save the world type plot. Which was … weird? Also, too easy. Saving the world is supposed to be hard, yo. The writing changed, and the story seemed to shed its fairy tale vibe to become more of a straight-forward quest story. The excessive descriptions were even toned down. Unfortunately, the biggest thing I took away from the ending was that it was too easy. Okay, sure, there were parts that were supposed to be difficult and read like they were difficult, but I wasn’t buying it. I never really got that sense of stakes, that fear like, “Oh, shoot, something’s about to happen. Can the hero pull through?!” Instead, I just had this sense of inevitability about how it would end, which really just undermined the climax, which felt so short and over in a bang (sort of literally).
The blurb had all the dark, creepy, fairy tale vibes, and I was all here for that.
The Waking Forest is a twisting tale of darkness, mystery, surrealism, and … foxes! And who the heck doesn’t love foxes?!
The plot is told in two storylines: Rhea, the girl who can see the world decaying and dying around her, and the Witch in the Woods, who grants wishes to children.
Each story had something to offer. Rhea was banter and mystery. The Witch in the Woods is dark and surreal. But both have foxes. And let’s be honest, that’s really the important part here, right?
My Thoughts:
- The writing was really beautiful in places and evocative and thought-provoking. There were so many sections that just gripped me and made me pause because of how much they rang true. The prose itself was a bit of a double-edged sword for me (more on that in a minute). But sometimes, just sometimes, it was so dang accurate that it caught me off-guard and I really had to re-read it to absorb the whole thing. Sections were poignant and relatable and capture the essence of feelings so perfectly.
- The Waking Forest is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and it does a fantastic job of capturing that fairy tale feel. I will say that I thought this was lost in the last third or so of the book, but for the first two parts? Phew. It had all the creepy, sinister vibes of something about to happen, like the real fairy tales (not the Disney sort). Wees masterfully blended whimsical fantasy and imagery with painful and emotional plots, marrying the two in what ended up being a delightfully surreal read.
- As a sister of sisters, my favorite thing about this story was easily the banter. And banter they do. You know, as teen girls will. When the four R’s get together, what happens is glorious and snarky and delicious. Pretty much every time they’re all there.
- This is a story within a story … within a story. It’s bookception. But in a cool way. The two storylines, at first, seem like they have nothing in common, but bit by bit, they come together as the story unfolds. Wees cleverly drops hints and clues that, if you pay attention, tie the two together, and I had inklings pretty early on of how they were connected. Yet, I wasn’t disappointed when the two finally aligned, because I didn’t feel like I had guessed a plot twist. I felt, instead, like this was a journey I was on and it had reached its natural destination, that of course it would end here all along. Mostly because it wasn’t presented as a plot twist or a gotcha, and that felt nice.
- Wees cleverly alludes to other fairy tales in the prose, and it’s kind of cool. I mean, sometimes. This is another one of those double-edged swords. I actually can’t talk too much about this because of spoilers, but it’s always nice, in my opinion, when there’s a little nod to other source material. But here’s the downfall for me: I expected them to have more importance or weight in the story, and they don’t. I mean, the allusions are pretty heavy-handed and in your face, so you really can’t miss them. So I expected, at first, that of course they would add up to something. But no. They basically just show up as name drops and are gone, without any real bearing on the story.
Sticking Points:
- All the main characters’ names began with the letter R. I have a really tiny mammal brain, and it basically overheated trying to tell them all apart. There’s the parents, Reece and Rafael Ravenna. Then, there’s the girls. Four of them. Rhea (aka Ree) is the protagonist, but then there’s also Rose, Raisa, and Renata (aka Ren). As the protagonist, Rhea was easy to remember, and Rose was easy enough, but for the life of me, I couldn’t keep Raisa and Renata straight. Then, you add on the fact that their last name is Ravenna, and it’s just too much for me.
- While beautiful, the writing is a bit … purple. There’s so much figurative language clogging up the prose that I sometimes had difficulty figuring out what was happening, and they didn’t all make sense. Now, if you’re a fan of purple prose … this is your book. This is your jam. You will for sure love this, because it is quite lovely. But for me personally, it was just too much.
- Things are repeated. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. In triplicate, often. I actually have no idea why this is? I guess three’s supposed to be a pretty lucky/magical number? Maybe it has some relation to fairy tales that I’m not aware of. But the prose was so repetitive in places, repeating things three times for seemingly no reason. Well, that’s not true. I imagine it was for dramatic effect. But it was done so often that it just ended up annoying me.
- The last third of the book changes in tone and ends up more of a protagonist goes on a quest to save the world type plot. Which was … weird? Also, too easy. Saving the world is supposed to be hard, yo. The writing changed, and the story seemed to shed its fairy tale vibe to become more of a straight-forward quest story. The excessive descriptions were even toned down. Unfortunately, the biggest thing I took away from the ending was that it was too easy. Okay, sure, there were parts that were supposed to be difficult and read like they were difficult, but I wasn’t buying it. I never really got that sense of stakes, that fear like, “Oh, shoot, something’s about to happen. Can the hero pull through?!” Instead, I just had this sense of inevitability about how it would end, which really just undermined the climax, which felt so short and over in a bang (sort of literally).
It's so bad, don't waste your time on this. I i could give it 0 stars i would. It's so confusing and badly explained and there's also a big obsession of foxes.
