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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
DNF @ 16%
This book seems to be told in alternating POVs - Rhea, a teenage girl who has weird "visions" & the Witch, who lives in a forest & grants wishes to children with only foxes for companions. I didn't like any of the characters and I think the author was trying to hard to confuse the reader with her language and trying to create a "dark and mysterious" scene. I couldn't find it in myself to plow through this to figure out what was going on.
DNF @ 16%
This book seems to be told in alternating POVs - Rhea, a teenage girl who has weird "visions" & the Witch, who lives in a forest & grants wishes to children with only foxes for companions. I didn't like any of the characters and I think the author was trying to hard to confuse the reader with her language and trying to create a "dark and mysterious" scene. I couldn't find it in myself to plow through this to figure out what was going on.
A fairy story that is no fairy story. Fans of fantasy with just the slightest touch of romance will want to read this one as soon as it is released. Make sure to savor the prose as you won't want to miss a single detail.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel somewhat bad because I know that I could have enjoyed this more if I was in the perfect mood for it.
Except . . . I had just finished Naomi Novak’s Uprooted, loved it so much, and am in the unfortunately position that anything I read after it would be just not as good as I wanted it to be.
So know, going into this review, that my rating is skewed lower than it could have been because I am first and foremost a mood reader and unfortunately that plays a big part in my ratings!
BUT–Alyssa Wees’ The Waking Forest was magical. It was lush, spooky and a little bit sinister and full of magic and storylines that merged together in a way that I didn’t expect.
The writing was beautiful and lyrical and descriptive, but not too much that it felt like purple prose, and I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys beautiful writing.
I definitely was swayed a lot by this, even in my not-in-the-exact-right-mood state.
I really enjoyed how, even in the contemporary portions of Rhea vs. the fantasy portions of the Witch, the story was magical and full of literary flourishes (in a good way).
Plus, it felt almost Shakespeare-esque in a way that I can’t elaborate much on without spoiling everything, but the ____ within a ____ concept is thriving in The Waking Forest and I love it!
And the plot!!! That twist!!! I definitely think this book deserves points because of the twist. It reminded me a lot of The Wicked Deep for ways I can’t spoil, but I thought it was a very unique concept.
However, it was a little jarring for it to happen, and I do think the transition of the twist could have been just a tad smoother. (Although, the jarringness could be a reflection of the characters’ emotions, so who am I to judge?)
Not factoring in my mood, I would have given The Waking Forest a solid 4, and maybe a 4.5 on a good day.
But, for ~some reason~, it felt like I was always a beat off when reading this book. Like, things didn’t click as quickly as they should have for me and sometimes I felt a little lost/confused/like I missed something.
If this book was beating at a “thump. thump. thump.” sound, and my own thumps were added to it, we would sound like “th-thump. th-thump. th-thump.” together–if that makes any sense?
I just felt like I was one beat off while reading, and so the experience was just a little bit off-kilter for me, although I blame my headspace while reading for this.
It’s probably no fault of the book’s–just my personal experience.
Overall, The Waking Forest was a genuinely good read and magical debut–one I think a lot of people can and will enjoy, and one that I definitely want to revisit and fall in love with in the future.
I would definitely recommend it for people who like lyrical writing, enjoyed Shea Ernshaw’s The Wicked Deep, or want something similar woodsy and magical!
Except . . . I had just finished Naomi Novak’s Uprooted, loved it so much, and am in the unfortunately position that anything I read after it would be just not as good as I wanted it to be.
So know, going into this review, that my rating is skewed lower than it could have been because I am first and foremost a mood reader and unfortunately that plays a big part in my ratings!
BUT–Alyssa Wees’ The Waking Forest was magical. It was lush, spooky and a little bit sinister and full of magic and storylines that merged together in a way that I didn’t expect.
The writing was beautiful and lyrical and descriptive, but not too much that it felt like purple prose, and I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys beautiful writing.
I definitely was swayed a lot by this, even in my not-in-the-exact-right-mood state.
I really enjoyed how, even in the contemporary portions of Rhea vs. the fantasy portions of the Witch, the story was magical and full of literary flourishes (in a good way).
Plus, it felt almost Shakespeare-esque in a way that I can’t elaborate much on without spoiling everything, but the ____ within a ____ concept is thriving in The Waking Forest and I love it!
And the plot!!! That twist!!! I definitely think this book deserves points because of the twist. It reminded me a lot of The Wicked Deep for ways I can’t spoil, but I thought it was a very unique concept.
However, it was a little jarring for it to happen, and I do think the transition of the twist could have been just a tad smoother. (Although, the jarringness could be a reflection of the characters’ emotions, so who am I to judge?)
Not factoring in my mood, I would have given The Waking Forest a solid 4, and maybe a 4.5 on a good day.
But, for ~some reason~, it felt like I was always a beat off when reading this book. Like, things didn’t click as quickly as they should have for me and sometimes I felt a little lost/confused/like I missed something.
If this book was beating at a “thump. thump. thump.” sound, and my own thumps were added to it, we would sound like “th-thump. th-thump. th-thump.” together–if that makes any sense?
I just felt like I was one beat off while reading, and so the experience was just a little bit off-kilter for me, although I blame my headspace while reading for this.
It’s probably no fault of the book’s–just my personal experience.
Overall, The Waking Forest was a genuinely good read and magical debut–one I think a lot of people can and will enjoy, and one that I definitely want to revisit and fall in love with in the future.
I would definitely recommend it for people who like lyrical writing, enjoyed Shea Ernshaw’s The Wicked Deep, or want something similar woodsy and magical!
Title: The Waking Forest
Author: Alyssa Wees (Debut book)
Release Date: March 12, 2019
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Series?: Stand alone
LGBTQ?: Unclear
People of Color?: Unclear (fantasy worlds)
Bechdel Test: Yes!
Trigger Warnings: None
I received The Waking Forest as an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Visit here at FierceFemaleReads for more info.
This is a fantastic YA fantasy with a fairy tale vibe (maybe some Snow White remnants?) as well as a fae world with witch wishes, sphinxes, and more. The women are strong and fantastic characters that I adored. The Princess does not wait to be rescued, but she does have a great family and strong squad by her side. It's a fun story where one never quite knows what is real and what is imagined - both are quite extraordinary. I also thought the concept of the double heart was the most beautiful and perfect way to describe the extra sense of magic that some are born with. The world itself can be very cruel and Wees did a fantastic job describing it and making the reader feel the urgency of the heroine's problems. There was also the beautiful moral of how families come in all shapes and sizes. It can include those whose blood you share but can also be chosen. The way the world is woven together feels like magic! Alyssa Wees is a master writer and I look forward to all her future works!
It reminds me of Hazel Wood, a novel-length version of Language of Thorns, or the Fairies of Dreamdark.
I would recommend it for lovers of fairy tales, fae worlds, and fantasy as well as fantasy in general. I would recommend this for all ages.
Author: Alyssa Wees (Debut book)
Release Date: March 12, 2019
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Series?: Stand alone
LGBTQ?: Unclear
People of Color?: Unclear (fantasy worlds)
Bechdel Test: Yes!
Trigger Warnings: None
I received The Waking Forest as an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Visit here at FierceFemaleReads for more info.
This is a fantastic YA fantasy with a fairy tale vibe (maybe some Snow White remnants?) as well as a fae world with witch wishes, sphinxes, and more. The women are strong and fantastic characters that I adored. The Princess does not wait to be rescued, but she does have a great family and strong squad by her side. It's a fun story where one never quite knows what is real and what is imagined - both are quite extraordinary. I also thought the concept of the double heart was the most beautiful and perfect way to describe the extra sense of magic that some are born with. The world itself can be very cruel and Wees did a fantastic job describing it and making the reader feel the urgency of the heroine's problems. There was also the beautiful moral of how families come in all shapes and sizes. It can include those whose blood you share but can also be chosen. The way the world is woven together feels like magic! Alyssa Wees is a master writer and I look forward to all her future works!
It reminds me of Hazel Wood, a novel-length version of Language of Thorns, or the Fairies of Dreamdark.
I would recommend it for lovers of fairy tales, fae worlds, and fantasy as well as fantasy in general. I would recommend this for all ages.
A really enjoyable fairy tale featuring magic, dreams, talking foxes who aren't foxes (and non-talking foxes who aren't, either!), family, friendship, and a forest which appears then disappears. I loved how Wees wove challenges with anxiety into the storyline, both for Rhea, the main character, as well as her sister. The writing is beautiful and lush, as magical as the story itself. One readers who loved THE HAZEL WOOD will dig, plus it's a stand alone.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*Disclaimer: eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
It was a story, written in starlight, dashed with dreams, that danced with the darkness. A wild, ‘to be or not to be’, fairy tale, one with stolen magic and dreams that lie but visions that tell the true. A world in a world, in a world in a world. A lucid dream of a magic story, that ends where it begins.
Does that description give you a headache? Then maybe you shouldn’t read The Waking Forest. For the most part, it is an okay book. Yet there is way too much description, too many run-on sentences, too many fragments, too many commas (see what I did there?). Instead of the story being enhanced by the lyrical prose, it detracts from it. It’s just too much description in that starry-eyed voice. I finished this book despite the endless fragmented sentences, not because of them.
The sad part is that this book is not worth pushing through. It’s a strange and confusing lucid dream of a story. One where you have no idea what is going one or how these characters are connected (and the big reveal is just not good enough). In a weird way, this story reminds me of The Wicked Deep. Both are, in my opinion, books that try to cram too much information and plot into not enough pages, coupled with a plot that twists and turns before the reader has a chance to catch up (and one that the reader never fully understands).
The worst part of this book is that it shows its hand too soon. We learn the big reveal about 70% of the way through (I almost DNF at 73%) and the rest is just a boring drudge to get to the end. At this point, everyone goes to do the thing, they do it and live happily ever after. There’s not really an antagonist and the worry-making parts of the book are revealed to be non-worry-making. And then it ends.
In short, it was a mostly terrible story. There are four weird sisters whose names all start with R (Rose, Renata, Raisa, and Rhea) so I got them mixed up a lot. The most interesting and promising bits, the boy and the Witch, just fizzle out halfway through. Magic can do and undo anything, so there’s no lasting consequences of anything. I did like the alternate world with the kingdom of iron and the maculae with their two hearts, and I wished we spent more time there (or better time there) than we actually did.
It was a story, written in starlight, dashed with dreams, that danced with the darkness. A wild, ‘to be or not to be’, fairy tale, one with stolen magic and dreams that lie but visions that tell the true. A world in a world, in a world in a world. A lucid dream of a magic story, that ends where it begins.
Does that description give you a headache? Then maybe you shouldn’t read The Waking Forest. For the most part, it is an okay book. Yet there is way too much description, too many run-on sentences, too many fragments, too many commas (see what I did there?). Instead of the story being enhanced by the lyrical prose, it detracts from it. It’s just too much description in that starry-eyed voice. I finished this book despite the endless fragmented sentences, not because of them.
The sad part is that this book is not worth pushing through. It’s a strange and confusing lucid dream of a story. One where you have no idea what is going one or how these characters are connected (and the big reveal is just not good enough). In a weird way, this story reminds me of The Wicked Deep. Both are, in my opinion, books that try to cram too much information and plot into not enough pages, coupled with a plot that twists and turns before the reader has a chance to catch up (and one that the reader never fully understands).
The worst part of this book is that it shows its hand too soon. We learn the big reveal about 70% of the way through (I almost DNF at 73%) and the rest is just a boring drudge to get to the end. At this point, everyone goes to do the thing, they do it and live happily ever after. There’s not really an antagonist and the worry-making parts of the book are revealed to be non-worry-making. And then it ends.
In short, it was a mostly terrible story. There are four weird sisters whose names all start with R (Rose, Renata, Raisa, and Rhea) so I got them mixed up a lot. The most interesting and promising bits, the boy and the Witch, just fizzle out halfway through. Magic can do and undo anything, so there’s no lasting consequences of anything. I did like the alternate world with the kingdom of iron and the maculae with their two hearts, and I wished we spent more time there (or better time there) than we actually did.
I'll post this review on Goodreads and that's it as this one was unfortunately a DNF for me. The language was just too flowery. There were interesting ideas happening, but it never felt coherent - I read about 20% and then just couldn't get past the phrase "syrupy stomachs" (I probably read that sentence like 10 times). At that point, I didn't feel enough (any) attachment to the characters or the possibly some day coming along plot to finish the book. I'll merchandise it, but its unlikely that I'll recommend it often.
Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte for the opportunity to read The Waking Forest, which will be available for purchase on 12 March.
Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte for the opportunity to read The Waking Forest, which will be available for purchase on 12 March.
3.5
Despite the uneven pacing, readers will find promise in this fairytale within a fairytale.
Rhea has been plagued by visions her parents and sisters cannot understand. When a shadow offers to help her find answers if she plays a game, her life unravels as the story of a witch in the woods parallels her own. Fans of The Hazel Wood will notice the plot-twists ahead of time and find the larger ensemble of characters difficult to engage with at first, but The Waking Forest is a story about courage and family at its core.
Despite the uneven pacing, readers will find promise in this fairytale within a fairytale.
Rhea has been plagued by visions her parents and sisters cannot understand. When a shadow offers to help her find answers if she plays a game, her life unravels as the story of a witch in the woods parallels her own. Fans of The Hazel Wood will notice the plot-twists ahead of time and find the larger ensemble of characters difficult to engage with at first, but The Waking Forest is a story about courage and family at its core.