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3.2 AVERAGE
3.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dnf, first 10% was utterly confusong and did not give me enough motivation to continue this book. After reading multiple reviews I decided to put it aside for now.
ARC provided by NetGalley
This book was not at all what I expected and I loved it. Rhea starts the book being burdened with visions and a lurking darkness but ends with a light. This book was magical.
This book was not at all what I expected and I loved it. Rhea starts the book being burdened with visions and a lurking darkness but ends with a light. This book was magical.
Part 1:
I absolutely loved this part. The writing was beautiful and the worlds were well crafted. At first, I didn't know if I was going to like it because it was so creepy. But I continued because it was so creepy. I loved how the "in the dark" and "in the woods" parts intertwined. I thought the characters were well built and their visions were very interesting. It was kind of predictable though. I think if you are a heavy fantasy reader, you can tell where the story would go.
Part 2:
This is where I stopped reading. After 40 pages of reading this part, I quit. I was over this story and kind of bored. I didn't care what happened after because the mystery element was gone and the characters were just average with a hint of magic. The kingdom wasn't the best.
Overall, I think this book would be good for people who are just starting with fantasy if they haven't been exposed to all the famous fantasy tropes. I definitely think the first part was more interesting than the second part but I can understand why it was needed to resolve all the issues presented early on.
I absolutely loved this part. The writing was beautiful and the worlds were well crafted. At first, I didn't know if I was going to like it because it was so creepy. But I continued because it was so creepy. I loved how the "in the dark" and "in the woods" parts intertwined. I thought the characters were well built and their visions were very interesting. It was kind of predictable though. I think if you are a heavy fantasy reader, you can tell where the story would go.
Part 2:
This is where I stopped reading. After 40 pages of reading this part, I quit. I was over this story and kind of bored. I didn't care what happened after because the mystery element was gone and the characters were just average with a hint of magic. The kingdom wasn't the best.
Spoiler
I feel like the character that hates the people with magic is always the character who does the absolute most to get magic and that story line just felt so basic. And surprise, it was the king.Overall, I think this book would be good for people who are just starting with fantasy if they haven't been exposed to all the famous fantasy tropes. I definitely think the first part was more interesting than the second part but I can understand why it was needed to resolve all the issues presented early on.
I can't tell if I liked this book or hated it, but I'm leaning towards the latter.
Big thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.
Soooo... this book. I was pretty excited for it. Not gonna lie. The cover drew me in. The synopsis is super intriguing and I thought for sure that I would love this book. That obviously did not happen, proving once again that I am not a psychic. Darn.
The writing was GORGEOUS at times, super lyrical and velvety. Then at other times, it was just straight up weird, almost juvenile. Think of the weird semi-stoned feeling you get when you read Alice in Wonderland. If you enjoyed that, this may be the perfect read for you.
I can tell that this is one of those books that is better the second time around, after you know what you know by the end. I didn't like this one enough to ever reread it though, personally. This book does a bit of mind trickery on you.
This review is kind of all over the place, just like this book.
There were some parts that were extremely cool, like the shadow boy. Wow! What a cool concept. I can totally see the Pan's Labyrinth comparison that this book is claiming in the blurb. I also think that this book would make an awesome movie. There's lots to see and feel but while it's a little too much all at once in the book, in a movie I think it would be stunning to experience.
The dialogue was pretty terrible at times. I kept thinking to myself, this is not how people talk. By the end, it kind of makes sense as to the reason why the dialogue is so off, but again, not gonna reread this book in this lifetime. So yeah.
Also, the main character is supposed to be 17, I think, but she's giving me major 13-year-old vibes.
All in all, I'd call this book Pan's Labyrinth Jr. if it were up to me. I think you'll love this book if you're a fan of magical realism and mind trickery akin to Alice in Wonderland.
Big thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.
Soooo... this book. I was pretty excited for it. Not gonna lie. The cover drew me in. The synopsis is super intriguing and I thought for sure that I would love this book. That obviously did not happen, proving once again that I am not a psychic. Darn.
The writing was GORGEOUS at times, super lyrical and velvety. Then at other times, it was just straight up weird, almost juvenile. Think of the weird semi-stoned feeling you get when you read Alice in Wonderland. If you enjoyed that, this may be the perfect read for you.
I can tell that this is one of those books that is better the second time around, after you know what you know by the end. I didn't like this one enough to ever reread it though, personally. This book does a bit of mind trickery on you.
This review is kind of all over the place, just like this book.
There were some parts that were extremely cool, like the shadow boy. Wow! What a cool concept. I can totally see the Pan's Labyrinth comparison that this book is claiming in the blurb. I also think that this book would make an awesome movie. There's lots to see and feel but while it's a little too much all at once in the book, in a movie I think it would be stunning to experience.
The dialogue was pretty terrible at times. I kept thinking to myself, this is not how people talk. By the end, it kind of makes sense as to the reason why the dialogue is so off, but again, not gonna reread this book in this lifetime. So yeah.
Also, the main character is supposed to be 17, I think, but she's giving me major 13-year-old vibes.
All in all, I'd call this book Pan's Labyrinth Jr. if it were up to me. I think you'll love this book if you're a fan of magical realism and mind trickery akin to Alice in Wonderland.
The Waking Forest is such an intriguing story. It has that eerie fairytale quality to it that once you pick it up and start reading. It’s hard to stop.
We start off with two different worlds that we are seeing into. Rhea’s world, with her house and family by the beach. Then there is the Witch of Wishes, with her palace of bone in the Woods and foxes that dance. We alternate between these two realities and learn more about each character. We later add in a third perspective in the form a story that someone tells the witch.There are many layers, kind of like photoshop document. At least that is how my brain thinks of it.
I really liked Rhea and her sisters. She is plagued and haunted by visions of things that are not real. Scary visions of people dying or missing parts of flesh and Woods that magically appear and disappear when she tries to enter. I loved the unique characteristics of each sister and how that blends with the other. They also have a very strong bond.
The Witch is intriguing, and the way she goes about her kingdom. The Witches section of the plot also brings us the story or fairytale of a princess in a kingdom where magic is feared. With a King who seeks to contain and destroy it.
I don’t want to give anything away from the plot but it’s interesting how the pieces fit together in the end. Red string of fate that binds them all. I loved the writing, it has the dreamy feel to it. I also found the plot to be fast paced and engaging. I think sometimes a story like this can drag on but this gave you just enough and kept it interesting.
I do wish the anxiety was touched upon a little bit more. To understand how the character that experiences it feels.
I really enjoyed The Waking Forest and I think it’s something to read if you like stories like The Hazelwood or The Wren Hunt.
We start off with two different worlds that we are seeing into. Rhea’s world, with her house and family by the beach. Then there is the Witch of Wishes, with her palace of bone in the Woods and foxes that dance. We alternate between these two realities and learn more about each character. We later add in a third perspective in the form a story that someone tells the witch.There are many layers, kind of like photoshop document. At least that is how my brain thinks of it.
I really liked Rhea and her sisters. She is plagued and haunted by visions of things that are not real. Scary visions of people dying or missing parts of flesh and Woods that magically appear and disappear when she tries to enter. I loved the unique characteristics of each sister and how that blends with the other. They also have a very strong bond.
The Witch is intriguing, and the way she goes about her kingdom. The Witches section of the plot also brings us the story or fairytale of a princess in a kingdom where magic is feared. With a King who seeks to contain and destroy it.
I don’t want to give anything away from the plot but it’s interesting how the pieces fit together in the end. Red string of fate that binds them all. I loved the writing, it has the dreamy feel to it. I also found the plot to be fast paced and engaging. I think sometimes a story like this can drag on but this gave you just enough and kept it interesting.
I do wish the anxiety was touched upon a little bit more. To understand how the character that experiences it feels.
I really enjoyed The Waking Forest and I think it’s something to read if you like stories like The Hazelwood or The Wren Hunt.
This book was so magical and dreamy. I especially liked the first half and how mysterious it was. There were some parts and quotes in this book that really spoke to me and the characters were really easy to fall in love with. I also really liked the sibling relationships, they were so sweet.
“And so she cast a glamour over herself and snuck out of the castle at night, fleeing to the forest where the monsters lived. Where she could be a monster too.”
“And so she cast a glamour over herself and snuck out of the castle at night, fleeing to the forest where the monsters lived. Where she could be a monster too.”
5 stars until she “woke up” and I became a lost human being.
Why did their names all have to start with the letter “R” it just made it confusing as heck :/
Overall: 3.5 stars
Why did their names all have to start with the letter “R” it just made it confusing as heck :/
Overall: 3.5 stars
3.75*
This read like a fairy tale, I loved the story and our main character. I loved that there wasn't basically any romance playing a big role in the story. And of course I loved how the author managed to keep me engaged and wanting to read more.
However, the second part of the book went a big too crazy and there was a point where I became really confused.
Overall I'd recommend it if you're looking for a magical story that's not too long.
This read like a fairy tale, I loved the story and our main character. I loved that there wasn't basically any romance playing a big role in the story. And of course I loved how the author managed to keep me engaged and wanting to read more.
However, the second part of the book went a big too crazy and there was a point where I became really confused.
Overall I'd recommend it if you're looking for a magical story that's not too long.