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3.2 AVERAGE
3.2 AVERAGE
“But little things, they say, grow into big things.
And big things, they say, must not forget they were once little things too.”
DISCLAIMER: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
EXPECTED MARCH 12, 2019
5 STARS
TW: gore, parental death
If you’re looking for a book that blends fairy tales, dreams, and nightmares into something lyrical and short, this is definitely the book for you.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I started The Waking Forest based on the summary, and it certainly wasn’t the same book as the one in my head at the beginning. Sometimes that goes poorly, but this time around, I think it went extremely well.
For starters, I absolutely loved the flowing, almost haunting nature of the prose in the sections about the Witch of Wishes, because the fairy tale feeling was INTENSE. You got the sense that this was some hazy nowhere, magical in every way, and yet entirely unapproachable save for the lucky (or unlucky…) few. In the Witch’s chapters, it’s a world of foxes and bones and bleeding flower hearts stitched up time and again, while in Rhea’s chapters, it’s a whirlwind of family and anxiety and the creeping itch that there’s more somewhere out there, somewhere close.
The alternation between the two POVs was done well, too. It was a perfect way to bring two plot lines into convergence, and the slight tonal shift from one to the other was carried out elegantly, if you ask me. This book was balanced, in a way I hadn’t anticipated, and I actually enjoyed the POV swapping. It’s a nice change of pace to enjoy that when I’ve recently read books with POVs I just couldn’t bring myself to care about.
Basically, give me a POV just dripping in atmosphere, and I think we’ll be all set.
I also really liked the characters a lot. This seems to be a standalone, based on the ending, so we don’t get the kind of depth and complexity you see from series, but as it stands, I was really pleased! Especially since there is this heavy fairy tale element, not everything or everyone has to be particularly grounded. Some characters are more ephemeral than others, and it seemed right that way, the arrangement of the cast.
What struck me most, though, was Rhea. As interesting as the Witch of Wishes was, Rhea was even more interesting, because here is a girl of eighteen who loves her family more than anything, especially her three younger sisters, and yet she has to grapple with visions and nightmares that plague her day after day, and well into the night. Her family is a loving one, tightly knit and such a refreshing change from the strained or absent families so often seen in YA, and I felt so strongly about each one of them as their fates unfolded in Rhea’s world.
And thematically? I suppose I needed this book. Amidst all that anxiety is a path towards healing and collective good. It’s ultimately a story about patching up old wounds and carrying yourself and everyone around you forward instead of dragging everyone down. Somehow, that works well with the book’s fairy tale quality; healing tends to feel impossible sometimes, like a story people tell themselves just to feel better. And yet The Waking Forest also feels grounded in its approach. It may seem like a story, but healing can happen. It can hurt, but it can happen.
Overall, I’m beyond impressed with this book, and if you’re looking for something to scratch that fairy tale itch you’ve got, then this might just be the book for you. Be sure to pre-order it or request it at your local library before it releases on March 12th, only a little while away!
And big things, they say, must not forget they were once little things too.”
DISCLAIMER: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
EXPECTED MARCH 12, 2019
5 STARS
TW: gore, parental death
If you’re looking for a book that blends fairy tales, dreams, and nightmares into something lyrical and short, this is definitely the book for you.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I started The Waking Forest based on the summary, and it certainly wasn’t the same book as the one in my head at the beginning. Sometimes that goes poorly, but this time around, I think it went extremely well.
For starters, I absolutely loved the flowing, almost haunting nature of the prose in the sections about the Witch of Wishes, because the fairy tale feeling was INTENSE. You got the sense that this was some hazy nowhere, magical in every way, and yet entirely unapproachable save for the lucky (or unlucky…) few. In the Witch’s chapters, it’s a world of foxes and bones and bleeding flower hearts stitched up time and again, while in Rhea’s chapters, it’s a whirlwind of family and anxiety and the creeping itch that there’s more somewhere out there, somewhere close.
The alternation between the two POVs was done well, too. It was a perfect way to bring two plot lines into convergence, and the slight tonal shift from one to the other was carried out elegantly, if you ask me. This book was balanced, in a way I hadn’t anticipated, and I actually enjoyed the POV swapping. It’s a nice change of pace to enjoy that when I’ve recently read books with POVs I just couldn’t bring myself to care about.
Basically, give me a POV just dripping in atmosphere, and I think we’ll be all set.
I also really liked the characters a lot. This seems to be a standalone, based on the ending, so we don’t get the kind of depth and complexity you see from series, but as it stands, I was really pleased! Especially since there is this heavy fairy tale element, not everything or everyone has to be particularly grounded. Some characters are more ephemeral than others, and it seemed right that way, the arrangement of the cast.
What struck me most, though, was Rhea. As interesting as the Witch of Wishes was, Rhea was even more interesting, because here is a girl of eighteen who loves her family more than anything, especially her three younger sisters, and yet she has to grapple with visions and nightmares that plague her day after day, and well into the night. Her family is a loving one, tightly knit and such a refreshing change from the strained or absent families so often seen in YA, and I felt so strongly about each one of them as their fates unfolded in Rhea’s world.
And thematically? I suppose I needed this book. Amidst all that anxiety is a path towards healing and collective good. It’s ultimately a story about patching up old wounds and carrying yourself and everyone around you forward instead of dragging everyone down. Somehow, that works well with the book’s fairy tale quality; healing tends to feel impossible sometimes, like a story people tell themselves just to feel better. And yet The Waking Forest also feels grounded in its approach. It may seem like a story, but healing can happen. It can hurt, but it can happen.
Overall, I’m beyond impressed with this book, and if you’re looking for something to scratch that fairy tale itch you’ve got, then this might just be the book for you. Be sure to pre-order it or request it at your local library before it releases on March 12th, only a little while away!
3.5 Stars.
Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features creepy hallucinations, anxiety, death, grief, visceral descriptions - of a dead body, and, separately, of the chest cavity.
The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees was one of my most anticipated books of the year, but while I really enjoyed it, and adored the concept, I felt the story was let down by the ending.
So I've been wanting to read atmospheric and creepy stories for several weeks, and I finally got what I wanted with The Waking Forest! It's told from the points of view of Rhea and the Witch of Wishes. Rhea lives with her family, is home schooled, but has very strange reoccurring dreams. Dreams of walking up a spiral staircase, and reaching a door and she's just about to open it when she wakes up. Despite not sounding like much, this is a nightmare she's had for as long as she can remember; knowing she has to open the door, but absolutely dreading what she'll find on the other side. She sleep walks during this dream, and always wakes up at the top of the stair leading to the attic. But this time, she wakes up having opened the attic door - and sees her own dead body on the floor. Because as well as having strange dreams, she also has terrible, frightening hallucinations - including that of a forest at the end of her garden, where there is no forest. Despite the terrifying vision, she decides that night to sleep in the attic, hoping that as she's already in there, she won't have her dream. But what she doesn't expect is the breathing and the disembodied voice she can hear in the pitch black of the attic. There is a boy in the darkness who wants her to guess his name. After his appearance, strange things happen to her family.
The Witch of Wishes lives in the forest, granting wishes to children who visit her in their sleep. She grants wishes by opening up her chest, as in her heart grows a rose made of blood petals, bone stem, and tooth thorns. She takes a petal from her heart, puts it into the child's mouth, and their wish is granted. She does this over and over, all night, and at dawn, she sews her chest back up. There is a scream building in her, and constant, unending pain. Every second is agony. She she spends her days doing the only thing she knows to distract herself from the scream and the pain - she dances, with her fox companions frolicking around her. She is alone, but tells herself she is not lonely. She tells herself she has everything she could possibly wish for, in her palace made of bones in the middle of a forest. But one day a boy and his sister appears, but rather than make a wish, the boy asks her what she would wish for. She sends him away, but he returns as a black fox, and curious, the witch allows him to tell her about his world; history, culture myths and legends, and then a story about a princess who put herself into an enchanted sleep.
Mate this book is almost - almost - absolutely everything I have been wanting to read over the last few weeks! The writing is gorgeous and lyrical, completely enchanting. I was captivated from the very first page! And then there's the story itself, the Witch's story like a very dark fairy tale, and Rhea's, set in our own world, full of bad dreams, terrifying visions, voices in the dark. While dark, the Witch's story is beautiful and magical, but Rhea's has this uneasy feeling to it, a sinister vibe that runs throughout. And I loved the story within a story; the story of the princess who put herself into an enchanted sleep that the Fox Who Is Not a Fox tells the Witch was just as engrossing as what was going on with the Witch and Rhea. And with Rhea, even before things get too weird, her sisters, Rose, Raisa and Renata - who I adore - are kind of strange. They say the weirdest things! And Renata struggles to discern dream for reality, and doesn't seem to have her feet firmly on the floor, who reacts really badly if people don't know what she's talking about or tell her it was just a dream. And their mum believes dreams have meaning, and wants the girls to record their dreams in dream journals. There's definitely something odd going on in this family. But then the boy in the dark - the Darkness, as Rhea refers to him - turns up, and everything gets completely messed up.
Then there's what's really going on, and oh my god, it's amazing! I guessed what was happening with the Witch, but not with Rhea! The concept is just so, so awesome! It's so clever and twisty, and pretty mind blowing, and I absolutely loved it! That is until we got to Part 2 of the story. Once we have the big reveal, and we know what's going on, the second part of the story had so much potential! Mate, it could have been amazing! But while I was engrossed while reading it, looking back, it could have been so much more. The atmospheric and sinister vibe seemed to practically disappear. And while the second part is still dark and macabre, it wasn't as enchanting or magical in regards to the writing. And except for the final climatic moment, not a huge deal happens - it's all lead up to the climax. After the incredible, incredible beginning, I just felt quite let down by the ending. Part 1 was roughly two thirds of the book, with Part 2 being the last third, and I kind of feel that maybe this book should have been a duology, with the book book being kind of short compared to the length of most books, yes, but with Part 2 made longer, both in regards to length of the book but also in time scale within the story longer, and just developed more. In my opinion, everything that happens in Part 2 should be bigger; the things that happen that lead up to the climax should be major events in their own right. I just feel like Part 2 let the rest of the story down.
I did love, however, all the little nods scattered throughout the story to actual fairy tales and myths and legends - with Rhea herself even mentioning that the Darkness wanting Rhea to guess his name is similar to Rumpelstiltskin. That was really quite cute, and spotting them all was really enjoyable. And I loved the small elements of how real world mental illnesses were touched on within this fairy tale type story. No labels are used, but I'm pretty sure secondary characters have depression and PTSD. Though I am unsure what to make of Rhea's hallucinations given what's really going on. Yes, she hallucinates, but also anxiety - which I personally feel was done very well - and yes, there is mention that she has seen a therapist and has medication, but there's an actual reason for the hallucinations, and with the fact that there are people who do experience hallucinations, I'm not sure what to think about it. I don't know if it's a problem or not?
I am really super excited to read what Wees writes next, because for the most part, I adored this book! But I was let down by the ending, sadly. But do read other reviews before deciding whether or not you'll read this book yourself.
Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features creepy hallucinations, anxiety, death, grief, visceral descriptions - of a dead body, and, separately, of the chest cavity.
The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees was one of my most anticipated books of the year, but while I really enjoyed it, and adored the concept, I felt the story was let down by the ending.
So I've been wanting to read atmospheric and creepy stories for several weeks, and I finally got what I wanted with The Waking Forest! It's told from the points of view of Rhea and the Witch of Wishes. Rhea lives with her family, is home schooled, but has very strange reoccurring dreams. Dreams of walking up a spiral staircase, and reaching a door and she's just about to open it when she wakes up. Despite not sounding like much, this is a nightmare she's had for as long as she can remember; knowing she has to open the door, but absolutely dreading what she'll find on the other side. She sleep walks during this dream, and always wakes up at the top of the stair leading to the attic. But this time, she wakes up having opened the attic door - and sees her own dead body on the floor. Because as well as having strange dreams, she also has terrible, frightening hallucinations - including that of a forest at the end of her garden, where there is no forest. Despite the terrifying vision, she decides that night to sleep in the attic, hoping that as she's already in there, she won't have her dream. But what she doesn't expect is the breathing and the disembodied voice she can hear in the pitch black of the attic. There is a boy in the darkness who wants her to guess his name. After his appearance, strange things happen to her family.
The Witch of Wishes lives in the forest, granting wishes to children who visit her in their sleep. She grants wishes by opening up her chest, as in her heart grows a rose made of blood petals, bone stem, and tooth thorns. She takes a petal from her heart, puts it into the child's mouth, and their wish is granted. She does this over and over, all night, and at dawn, she sews her chest back up. There is a scream building in her, and constant, unending pain. Every second is agony. She she spends her days doing the only thing she knows to distract herself from the scream and the pain - she dances, with her fox companions frolicking around her. She is alone, but tells herself she is not lonely. She tells herself she has everything she could possibly wish for, in her palace made of bones in the middle of a forest. But one day a boy and his sister appears, but rather than make a wish, the boy asks her what she would wish for. She sends him away, but he returns as a black fox, and curious, the witch allows him to tell her about his world; history, culture myths and legends, and then a story about a princess who put herself into an enchanted sleep.
Mate this book is almost - almost - absolutely everything I have been wanting to read over the last few weeks! The writing is gorgeous and lyrical, completely enchanting. I was captivated from the very first page! And then there's the story itself, the Witch's story like a very dark fairy tale, and Rhea's, set in our own world, full of bad dreams, terrifying visions, voices in the dark. While dark, the Witch's story is beautiful and magical, but Rhea's has this uneasy feeling to it, a sinister vibe that runs throughout. And I loved the story within a story; the story of the princess who put herself into an enchanted sleep that the Fox Who Is Not a Fox tells the Witch was just as engrossing as what was going on with the Witch and Rhea. And with Rhea, even before things get too weird, her sisters, Rose, Raisa and Renata - who I adore - are kind of strange. They say the weirdest things! And Renata struggles to discern dream for reality, and doesn't seem to have her feet firmly on the floor, who reacts really badly if people don't know what she's talking about or tell her it was just a dream. And their mum believes dreams have meaning, and wants the girls to record their dreams in dream journals. There's definitely something odd going on in this family. But then the boy in the dark - the Darkness, as Rhea refers to him - turns up, and everything gets completely messed up.
Then there's what's really going on, and oh my god, it's amazing! I guessed what was happening with the Witch, but not with Rhea! The concept is just so, so awesome! It's so clever and twisty, and pretty mind blowing, and I absolutely loved it! That is until we got to Part 2 of the story. Once we have the big reveal, and we know what's going on, the second part of the story had so much potential! Mate, it could have been amazing! But while I was engrossed while reading it, looking back, it could have been so much more. The atmospheric and sinister vibe seemed to practically disappear. And while the second part is still dark and macabre, it wasn't as enchanting or magical in regards to the writing. And except for the final climatic moment, not a huge deal happens - it's all lead up to the climax. After the incredible, incredible beginning, I just felt quite let down by the ending. Part 1 was roughly two thirds of the book, with Part 2 being the last third, and I kind of feel that maybe this book should have been a duology, with the book book being kind of short compared to the length of most books, yes, but with Part 2 made longer, both in regards to length of the book but also in time scale within the story longer, and just developed more. In my opinion, everything that happens in Part 2 should be bigger; the things that happen that lead up to the climax should be major events in their own right. I just feel like Part 2 let the rest of the story down.
I did love, however, all the little nods scattered throughout the story to actual fairy tales and myths and legends - with Rhea herself even mentioning that the Darkness wanting Rhea to guess his name is similar to Rumpelstiltskin. That was really quite cute, and spotting them all was really enjoyable. And I loved the small elements of how real world mental illnesses were touched on within this fairy tale type story. No labels are used, but I'm pretty sure secondary characters have depression and PTSD. Though I am unsure what to make of Rhea's hallucinations given what's really going on. Yes, she hallucinates, but also anxiety - which I personally feel was done very well - and yes, there is mention that she has seen a therapist and has medication, but there's an actual reason for the hallucinations, and with the fact that there are people who do experience hallucinations, I'm not sure what to think about it. I don't know if it's a problem or not?
I am really super excited to read what Wees writes next, because for the most part, I adored this book! But I was let down by the ending, sadly. But do read other reviews before deciding whether or not you'll read this book yourself.
I enjoyed this one. I did. I just really struggled to get into it. It was really slow to start, and I felt like it didn't really pick up until the last third or so. However, it was really creepy and horror-esque from the start, which kept me reading despite the slowness.
I liked Rhea well enough. She wasn't too relatable, which made it hard for me to really care about her, but I liked the character development she went through. I liked her much more by the end of the book than I did to begin with.
The world-building was a highlight. It was well-done, and the world was so unique and original and just surprising, and it kept me reading even though it was really slow. And okay, the biggest plot twist wasn't all that surprising, but there were plenty other surprising twists, so that's okay.
The plot was slow, which made it really difficult to get into. It picked up around the last third of the book, though. I really loved the general mood of the book, though. I'm not a big fan of horror, so when I first started reading and felt it was really close to a horror story, K was hesitant, but it wasn't too much. It was really creepy, and it fit the book so well.
Overall, I enjoyed it. It was slow and hard to get into, but I loved the creepy mood and I liked the characters well enough.
I liked Rhea well enough. She wasn't too relatable, which made it hard for me to really care about her, but I liked the character development she went through. I liked her much more by the end of the book than I did to begin with.
The world-building was a highlight. It was well-done, and the world was so unique and original and just surprising, and it kept me reading even though it was really slow. And okay, the biggest plot twist wasn't all that surprising, but there were plenty other surprising twists, so that's okay.
The plot was slow, which made it really difficult to get into. It picked up around the last third of the book, though. I really loved the general mood of the book, though. I'm not a big fan of horror, so when I first started reading and felt it was really close to a horror story, K was hesitant, but it wasn't too much. It was really creepy, and it fit the book so well.
Overall, I enjoyed it. It was slow and hard to get into, but I loved the creepy mood and I liked the characters well enough.
“Actually, some dreams are dangerous, the ones you try the hardest to forget. Because then they grow gaunt and bladed, and will come back clawing up your throat”
What a curious, dark little book.
I have to say, ever since I read the synopsis for The Waking Forest I knew I needed to read it. This novel feels and reads like a fairytale, a really obscure and whimsical one, and it was unlike anything that I’ve read before, trust.
Immediately from the start, the writing in this book is the actual bomb.com. It is one of the most flowery, beautiful and fairytale-ish that I’ve read, and I loved every single word of it. The words that the author uses and how she describes the scenery and what is happening in the story is really magnificent. Only from the writing style I already want to read everything Alyssa Wees publishes. It was delightful.
We follow two main different storylines. Both were equally captivating for me, and I found myself wanting to know more from both perspectives at all times. Each of them had really intriguing plots that were interesting on their own. Individually the worked beautifully, and I was really surprised to see how everything came together.
But I have to admit that when part two of the book started it all became a little messy.
At first, I felt overwhelmed. When both storylines mixed it felt like the author wanted to include everything to the story. The book has mythical creatures, normal life, kingdoms, magic (that isn't explain whatsoever), princesses and a lot of other things. All of them worked great together, but it was way too much, and more for this short of a book. I was really confused at times because there where too many things to follow at once, to the point that I didn't enjoyed the second half. To be honest, this book would've been a 4.5 or a 5 star read if it was like the first half all the way through.
In conclusion, I loved loved loved the first part of this novel but wasn't a fan of he rest. Still a really good and entertaining read though!
**I received a free e-arc edition of this book from netgalley! All opinions are my own.
What a curious, dark little book.
I have to say, ever since I read the synopsis for The Waking Forest I knew I needed to read it. This novel feels and reads like a fairytale, a really obscure and whimsical one, and it was unlike anything that I’ve read before, trust.
Immediately from the start, the writing in this book is the actual bomb.com. It is one of the most flowery, beautiful and fairytale-ish that I’ve read, and I loved every single word of it. The words that the author uses and how she describes the scenery and what is happening in the story is really magnificent. Only from the writing style I already want to read everything Alyssa Wees publishes. It was delightful.
We follow two main different storylines. Both were equally captivating for me, and I found myself wanting to know more from both perspectives at all times. Each of them had really intriguing plots that were interesting on their own. Individually the worked beautifully, and I was really surprised to see how everything came together.
But I have to admit that when part two of the book started it all became a little messy.
At first, I felt overwhelmed. When both storylines mixed it felt like the author wanted to include everything to the story. The book has mythical creatures, normal life, kingdoms, magic (that isn't explain whatsoever), princesses and a lot of other things. All of them worked great together, but it was way too much, and more for this short of a book. I was really confused at times because there where too many things to follow at once, to the point that I didn't enjoyed the second half. To be honest, this book would've been a 4.5 or a 5 star read if it was like the first half all the way through.
In conclusion, I loved loved loved the first part of this novel but wasn't a fan of he rest. Still a really good and entertaining read though!
**I received a free e-arc edition of this book from netgalley! All opinions are my own.
First, I want to thank the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy to provide my unbiased opinion.
This book is on a lot of people’s TBR. The premise sounds fantastic, which is why I initially requested it. If you haven’t heard me say it before, I use Netgalley to read novels I wouldn’t otherwise read. More unpopular authors, but authors who deserve to be heard.
This follows two perspectives. One is the witch in the woods. This witch has lived alone forever in the woods with her fox friends. Her sole purpose is to grant wishes to children that enter the woods. One day, a mysterious thing happens and somebody stays to tell her a story. On the flip side, we are following Rhea who lives by the beach with her family. She is known to have night terrors and hallucinations. She has seen multiple psychiatrists and is on medication. She continues to see a forest, when it is not there. She continues to see a being, when he is not there to anyone else. And slowly, her family starts disappearing. Is Rhea losing her mind? Is there a forest? Is there a witch? Will their paths collide?
Okay, let me begin by saying that this book has a lot of prose in it. And it is highly confusing to keep up with what is going on. Virtually, it’s a fairy tale. If you like fairy tales, by all means read this book. I just found it highly confusing. There were too many characters, and I couldn’t keep up with who was who. So, I didn’t like the writing style at all. I thought about DNFing this book majority of the time I was reading it. I didn’t do this because I have a problem with wanting to know what happens in the end. Since this book wasn’t out yet by the time I read it there were no spoilery reviews or recaps. So I soldiered on with the hopes that this would get better, but it only got more confusing as time went on. The idea was great, but it was poorly executed. The author was trying to overdue with too much imagery, etc.
I gave 2 stars overall because the idea was great. The writing style was just bad. Overall, I would not recommend this book.
This book is on a lot of people’s TBR. The premise sounds fantastic, which is why I initially requested it. If you haven’t heard me say it before, I use Netgalley to read novels I wouldn’t otherwise read. More unpopular authors, but authors who deserve to be heard.
This follows two perspectives. One is the witch in the woods. This witch has lived alone forever in the woods with her fox friends. Her sole purpose is to grant wishes to children that enter the woods. One day, a mysterious thing happens and somebody stays to tell her a story. On the flip side, we are following Rhea who lives by the beach with her family. She is known to have night terrors and hallucinations. She has seen multiple psychiatrists and is on medication. She continues to see a forest, when it is not there. She continues to see a being, when he is not there to anyone else. And slowly, her family starts disappearing. Is Rhea losing her mind? Is there a forest? Is there a witch? Will their paths collide?
Okay, let me begin by saying that this book has a lot of prose in it. And it is highly confusing to keep up with what is going on. Virtually, it’s a fairy tale. If you like fairy tales, by all means read this book. I just found it highly confusing. There were too many characters, and I couldn’t keep up with who was who. So, I didn’t like the writing style at all. I thought about DNFing this book majority of the time I was reading it. I didn’t do this because I have a problem with wanting to know what happens in the end. Since this book wasn’t out yet by the time I read it there were no spoilery reviews or recaps. So I soldiered on with the hopes that this would get better, but it only got more confusing as time went on. The idea was great, but it was poorly executed. The author was trying to overdue with too much imagery, etc.
I gave 2 stars overall because the idea was great. The writing style was just bad. Overall, I would not recommend this book.
This book was high on my list of 2019 reads. It is well written, but it's a confusing mess. There is a story within a story but the plot lacks direction and meaning. The characters are shallow, flat and unappealing. There are atmospheric details which do a great job of setting the scene but add no detail to the evolution of the story bordering purple prose. Quite disappointed and still very confused. I can't figure out what the point was and I'm going to stop thinking about it because my head hurts.
The Waking Forest is a strange, fever dream of a fairy tale. The writing is absolutely beautiful and the author effectively weaves dark, creepy, yet strangely beautiful worlds together. I would recommend this for fans of The Hazelwood by Melissa Albert who are up for reading something stranger and darker.
The story is told in two perspectives- one the Witch of Wishes living deep in a forest where she grants wishes to children by cutting open her own heart for magical flower petals. The other perspective is of a teen girl who has strange visions living in a house with her three sisters.
This is the sort of book that I can't say much about without spoiling things. It is lyrically written but with lots of disturbing imagery. It plays with themes of sisterhood, the courage to be yourself, and the interaction of dark and light, beauty and ugliness, death and life. I struggle a bit with how to rate this, but ultimately I think it is an impressive accomplishment for a debut author. This will not be the book for everyone but I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future. I received an advance copy of this book for review from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The story is told in two perspectives- one the Witch of Wishes living deep in a forest where she grants wishes to children by cutting open her own heart for magical flower petals. The other perspective is of a teen girl who has strange visions living in a house with her three sisters.
This is the sort of book that I can't say much about without spoiling things. It is lyrically written but with lots of disturbing imagery. It plays with themes of sisterhood, the courage to be yourself, and the interaction of dark and light, beauty and ugliness, death and life. I struggle a bit with how to rate this, but ultimately I think it is an impressive accomplishment for a debut author. This will not be the book for everyone but I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future. I received an advance copy of this book for review from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Not exactly sure what the heck I just read and am still totally confused. However, I do see this as a movie being directed by my man Guillermo Del Toro and I would totally watch it!
Not at all, what I was expecting and I loved the twist. The ending felt a little rushed and sometimes the writing was just too much. However, loved it! It was spooky at times and I loved that family was such a strong part of the story. Also, the fact that the very last sentence is the same as the very first was beautiful
4.37 stars to be exact based on an 8-point rating scale
4.37 stars to be exact based on an 8-point rating scale
Ugliness doesn't need light to exist
Many thanks to NetGalley for sending me an advanced reader's copy of The Waking Forest in exchange for an honest review. When I read the synopsis of The Waking Forest I was instantly hooked. It looked like the kind of eerie, magical realism that I love!
The Waking Forest is about Rhea and the reoccurring realistic dreams that plague her and a dangerous game she plays with the Darkness that lives in her attic. There is also a witch who grants wishes and become enamored with a fox-who-is-not-a-fox and the stories of the "outside" he tells her. Wees slowly weaves together these two very different stories to create a world where the reader is constantly trying to figure out what is real and what is a dream.
First off, Wees' writing is absolutely gorgeous! It's an enchanting and flowery prose that gives the reader vivid imagery throughout the novel. Because of this, I really wanted to love The Waking Forest. The intertwined stories of Rhea and witch were fascinating. I was constantly on the edge of my seat trying to guess how they were connected! When I finally got to the point where the two stories met, I was sorely disappointed. There was a big shift in the genre, which was unexpected. One minute I was reading a beautiful magical realism novel and the next it turned into full blown fantasy. It was so disjointed that it felt like I was reading a completely different book! That's what really tanked the rating for me. The Waking Forest had so much more potential and if there was more thought put into the intersection between Rhea and the witch, I think it would have easily been a 5 star read for me.
Despite being disappointed with the resolution of The Waking Forest I am definitely going to put Alyssa Wees on my radar. She is an extremely talented writer and I can't wait to see where her prose takes her next!