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3.2 AVERAGE
3.2 AVERAGE
1.8
Rhea has been having the same dream every night, of a door and the staircase that leads to it. Dreams that feel important, though she's not sure why. When she discovers a voice in her attic, the Darkness, things begin to unravel- but not in the ways she wanted. Now everything is slipping through her fingers, and it's up to Rhea to find the answer.
Alright, so. I hated this book. I really, really hated this book. "But Starr, you gave it nearly 2 stars!" you cry. Well, yeah, here's the thing: someone is going to be utterly changed by reading this. A pre-teen most likely. This book has all the elements of a life-stopping new world within fiction, if you are small and not yet well-read. And I respect that. I can't give it a super low score, because I recognize that I am not young and I am well-read, and though the experience of reading this book made me scream out my disgust for it multiple times, it still gets stars from me.
So, for the rating and recommending, I say this: if you are reading this review because you want to read this book and you haven't read a lot of YA fantasy, but you are small and ready to start tiptoeing into older fiction, go for it, and take it slow. Otherwise, run for the hills, kids.
Why do I hate this book? It is the most overwritten thing I have ever read in my life. Every single sentence in this book was meant to be quoted (and I will quote none of it) and put on a shirt or added to someone's social media. The entire book is just an excuse for someone to be as poetic as possible- but not like, normal poetic, like poetic in the way of calling the moon a boil and describing emotions in the weirdest way possible.
Also, it reads like the first fantasy book you try to write when you're like 11. Not in purple prose, but, I mean, the entire family has R names (and not regular R names, they're all Unique), she has a pet fox for no reason, the parents are nothing but quirky, happy, care-free nobodies. And the twist... god, the twist was just so obvious.
And going off of that, I will tell you that there is a huge story switch for the last like third of the book, and the whole thing is suddenly a different story, but with the same modern language and re-explanations and it's just super clunky, alright?
This book is short, but the night is long, and you will drag yourself through every overwrought turn of phrase with the feeling that you have just read three books of equal size.
Rhea has been having the same dream every night, of a door and the staircase that leads to it. Dreams that feel important, though she's not sure why. When she discovers a voice in her attic, the Darkness, things begin to unravel- but not in the ways she wanted. Now everything is slipping through her fingers, and it's up to Rhea to find the answer.
Alright, so. I hated this book. I really, really hated this book. "But Starr, you gave it nearly 2 stars!" you cry. Well, yeah, here's the thing: someone is going to be utterly changed by reading this. A pre-teen most likely. This book has all the elements of a life-stopping new world within fiction, if you are small and not yet well-read. And I respect that. I can't give it a super low score, because I recognize that I am not young and I am well-read, and though the experience of reading this book made me scream out my disgust for it multiple times, it still gets stars from me.
So, for the rating and recommending, I say this: if you are reading this review because you want to read this book and you haven't read a lot of YA fantasy, but you are small and ready to start tiptoeing into older fiction, go for it, and take it slow. Otherwise, run for the hills, kids.
Why do I hate this book? It is the most overwritten thing I have ever read in my life. Every single sentence in this book was meant to be quoted (and I will quote none of it) and put on a shirt or added to someone's social media. The entire book is just an excuse for someone to be as poetic as possible- but not like, normal poetic, like poetic in the way of calling the moon a boil and describing emotions in the weirdest way possible.
Also, it reads like the first fantasy book you try to write when you're like 11. Not in purple prose, but, I mean, the entire family has R names (and not regular R names, they're all Unique), she has a pet fox for no reason, the parents are nothing but quirky, happy, care-free nobodies. And the twist... god, the twist was just so obvious.
And going off of that, I will tell you that there is a huge story switch for the last like third of the book, and the whole thing is suddenly a different story, but with the same modern language and re-explanations and it's just super clunky, alright?
This book is short, but the night is long, and you will drag yourself through every overwrought turn of phrase with the feeling that you have just read three books of equal size.
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In a Sentence
A girl with horrible visions and a witch who grants wishes finds their stories intertwined.
Summary
From Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press:
The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She’s desperate to know more–until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.
To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.
The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea’s and the Witch’s paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?
Review
This is a book in two parts. I don’t say that figuratively–it’s divided into Parts One and Two. Part One alternates between the Witch of Wishes, a young witch who lives in a forest and grants children’s wishes, and Rhea, a teen with three sisters who has disturbing visions of death and decay. Once the two characters’ connection is made clear, Part Two continues the story.
I quite liked Part One. The witch chapters were wonderfully, magically strange, and the chapters about Rhea were equal parts relatable, quirky familial charm and a mounting, sinister sense of dread. Sometimes the writing went a little overboard into purple prose territory, but it was overall very engaging and enjoyable.
The problem is Part Two. So, actually to reverse what I said earlier: I am speaking figuratively. And literally. It’s a twofer.
I’ll save the in depth explanation of my issues for the Spoil Sport, but to sum up: it just doesn’t work for me. Given the setup in Part One, Part Two is an awkwardly constructed disappointment. It builds on conflict that it didn’t actually establish, much less earn in first two-thirds. Wees tried something different, which is always nice to see, but it didn’t pan out.
Rating
2.5 Stars
Recommend to a Friend?
Based on Part One alone, I would happily recommended this to anyone who enjoyed Wicked Like a Wildfire. Similar tone, similar creative uses magic and imagery, the importance of sisters.
Including Part Two? Well, perhaps if you like upended fairy tales, unconventional narrative devices, and anachronistic language, this will be your cup of tea.
In a Sentence
A girl with horrible visions and a witch who grants wishes finds their stories intertwined.
Summary
From Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press:
The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She’s desperate to know more–until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.
To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.
The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea’s and the Witch’s paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?
Review
This is a book in two parts. I don’t say that figuratively–it’s divided into Parts One and Two. Part One alternates between the Witch of Wishes, a young witch who lives in a forest and grants children’s wishes, and Rhea, a teen with three sisters who has disturbing visions of death and decay. Once the two characters’ connection is made clear, Part Two continues the story.
I quite liked Part One. The witch chapters were wonderfully, magically strange, and the chapters about Rhea were equal parts relatable, quirky familial charm and a mounting, sinister sense of dread. Sometimes the writing went a little overboard into purple prose territory, but it was overall very engaging and enjoyable.
The problem is Part Two. So, actually to reverse what I said earlier: I am speaking figuratively. And literally. It’s a twofer.
I’ll save the in depth explanation of my issues for the Spoil Sport, but to sum up: it just doesn’t work for me. Given the setup in Part One, Part Two is an awkwardly constructed disappointment. It builds on conflict that it didn’t actually establish, much less earn in first two-thirds. Wees tried something different, which is always nice to see, but it didn’t pan out.
Rating
2.5 Stars
Recommend to a Friend?
Based on Part One alone, I would happily recommended this to anyone who enjoyed Wicked Like a Wildfire. Similar tone, similar creative uses magic and imagery, the importance of sisters.
Including Part Two? Well, perhaps if you like upended fairy tales, unconventional narrative devices, and anachronistic language, this will be your cup of tea.
Until about 75% of the way through this book, I adored it! I was enchanted, intrigued, and mystified as to what was going to happen next and what exactly was going on. The writing is gorgeous and had me so entranced I couldn't stop reading. At about 75% of the way through though, the story shifts and it got more messy and more confusing for me. Granted - there was very little action up until this point and then everything turned into an action scene, but it was hard to keep up with. While I loved the story and the direction it was going, so much happened in that last 25%, I'm not sure I can even explain what happened. Now, granted, it might be because I read through it quickly to see what happens next, but it was hard for me to get through the end because I couldn't pinpoint what exactly was going on.
Besides that confusion, I loved this story. The writing is stunning, the characters are interesting, and the plot gives me a Hazel Wood vibe, but better. If messed up fairytales, magic, and witches are your vibe, then you are going to love this book. I was able to read it in about 2.5 hours, so it's not very long at all and very easy to get through, so this is good for anyone looking for a fun, fast paced read. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to read more from this author in the future!
Besides that confusion, I loved this story. The writing is stunning, the characters are interesting, and the plot gives me a Hazel Wood vibe, but better. If messed up fairytales, magic, and witches are your vibe, then you are going to love this book. I was able to read it in about 2.5 hours, so it's not very long at all and very easy to get through, so this is good for anyone looking for a fun, fast paced read. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to read more from this author in the future!
The Waking Forest is a paper matryoshka. It's made of stories inside of stories, interlocked, the lines between them blurred until you can't tell which side is before and which side is after. It's a book about mysterious witches, curses whispered in the dark, and the power of wishes.
Sounds like an interesting concept, right? It was. The execution, sadly, wasn't at all.
The first half didn't deserve two stars. It was a story about a witch and a haunted girl, it was interesting to read and beautiful and intricate the way this book promised to be. It had its own flaws - the writing was pretty, that's true, but this book often felt overwritten, a clumsy attempt at elegant prose - but it was what I wanted to read. I would have given it a solid three stars, even though I found the resolution of the story-inside-a-story part predictable.
But the actual problem? That aspect gets resolved 60% into the book. After that, The Waking Forest isn't a story about a witch and her pet foxes or about a girl whose family is disappearing in increasingly disturbing ways. No, it becomes an extremely cliché YA fantasy story about aprincess who needs to take back the throne .
I didn't sign up for this. I wanted to read about a witch, a creepy forest, and tales nestled inside other tales. I could have forgiven that if the second half had had any interesting elements in it, but it didn't - it was one of the most uninspired things I've read in a long while. How many times have I read a"princess needs to take back the throne" story in my life? Right now, I can list at least twelve YA books published in the last four years that did this, and all of them were better at it than this book.
Everything I liked about The Waking Forest was lost in part two. The witch-y aspect, the foxes, the atmosphere - which during the first half was a dreamlike kind of creepy, beautiful in its own way - they weren't there anymore, and I ended up skimming most of the ending.
I guess I just need to remind myself to never trust YA fantasy, no matter how good the premise sounds.
Sounds like an interesting concept, right? It was. The execution, sadly, wasn't at all.
The first half didn't deserve two stars. It was a story about a witch and a haunted girl, it was interesting to read and beautiful and intricate the way this book promised to be. It had its own flaws - the writing was pretty, that's true, but this book often felt overwritten, a clumsy attempt at elegant prose - but it was what I wanted to read. I would have given it a solid three stars, even though I found the resolution of the story-inside-a-story part predictable.
But the actual problem? That aspect gets resolved 60% into the book. After that, The Waking Forest isn't a story about a witch and her pet foxes or about a girl whose family is disappearing in increasingly disturbing ways. No, it becomes an extremely cliché YA fantasy story about a
I didn't sign up for this. I wanted to read about a witch, a creepy forest, and tales nestled inside other tales. I could have forgiven that if the second half had had any interesting elements in it, but it didn't - it was one of the most uninspired things I've read in a long while. How many times have I read a
Everything I liked about The Waking Forest was lost in part two. The witch-y aspect, the foxes, the atmosphere - which during the first half was a dreamlike kind of creepy, beautiful in its own way - they weren't there anymore, and I ended up skimming most of the ending.
I guess I just need to remind myself to never trust YA fantasy, no matter how good the premise sounds.
Once upon a time, there was a princess. This princess possessed magic, but needed to hide it because her grandfather the king kept people like herself in chains. She survived for a while living two lives, but then she was discovered, and faced with death or enslavement, the princess made her own choice. This is the story that Rhea Ravenna hears in the darkness of her attic, and it is a story that will change her life.
At the beginning, I loved The Waking Forest. Alyssa Wees's writing is a little flowery, but I like that aspect. Part One weaves between the Witch in the Forest who grants wishes, and young Rhea Ravenna and her sisters. Both of these worlds were interesting and I liked them. The voices were distinctly different and the pacing between each with great. Early in The Waking Forest, I thought I was going to love this novel.
Enter Part Two.
For me, Part Two felt like it was written by an entirely different person. The toy box of characters and world building elements was dumped on the table. It was quickly paced. Where the contemporary was interesting and grounded in Part One, and the fantasy was rich and blossoming... now we're entirely in fantasy, everything is getting done very quickly, and the characters are still behaving fully like contemporary characters. All the goals are accomplished easily. The magic system is not really explained. The beautiful language from the start of the book is gone. Part Two was jarringly different, and it was not the fantasy I was promised in Part One. I didn't believe that things would have worked out for Rhea. I felt like the sister dynamic was lost. The magic system was assumed rather than explained. I can't get past how much it felt like two different books, and I felt hugely let down.
Many people compare this to The Hazel Wood, and that's a fair comparison. It's the same type of story. The Waking Forest is more magic in the beginning, with a better integration, but people who enjoy the pacing and beat of contemporary YA will probably prefer this one to The Hazel Wood. At the end of the day, The Waking Forest was not for me, but I believe it will find a good audience.
At the beginning, I loved The Waking Forest. Alyssa Wees's writing is a little flowery, but I like that aspect. Part One weaves between the Witch in the Forest who grants wishes, and young Rhea Ravenna and her sisters. Both of these worlds were interesting and I liked them. The voices were distinctly different and the pacing between each with great. Early in The Waking Forest, I thought I was going to love this novel.
Enter Part Two.
For me, Part Two felt like it was written by an entirely different person. The toy box of characters and world building elements was dumped on the table. It was quickly paced. Where the contemporary was interesting and grounded in Part One, and the fantasy was rich and blossoming... now we're entirely in fantasy, everything is getting done very quickly, and the characters are still behaving fully like contemporary characters. All the goals are accomplished easily. The magic system is not really explained. The beautiful language from the start of the book is gone. Part Two was jarringly different, and it was not the fantasy I was promised in Part One. I didn't believe that things would have worked out for Rhea. I felt like the sister dynamic was lost. The magic system was assumed rather than explained. I can't get past how much it felt like two different books, and I felt hugely let down.
Many people compare this to The Hazel Wood, and that's a fair comparison. It's the same type of story. The Waking Forest is more magic in the beginning, with a better integration, but people who enjoy the pacing and beat of contemporary YA will probably prefer this one to The Hazel Wood. At the end of the day, The Waking Forest was not for me, but I believe it will find a good audience.
**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
3.5/5 stars - beautiful prose but an ultimately shallow plot
In The Waking Forest, debut author Alyssa Wees got a lot of things right. The novel's structure is of stories within stories, and as such, the fanciful prose is a suitable choice. Themes of light and darkness, princesses and witches, successfully evoke the atmosphere of a fairy tale. The story is on some levels built around family, and the portrayal of a healthy family dynamic that's so rare in fantasy works nicely here.
However, none of this was enough to make up for what—in my eyes—was an oversimplified plot and
characters without adequate depth of personality. I found it difficult to relate to Rhea, the main character, who spent the first two acts of the book confused about what was going on and thus largely incapable of driving the plot. The supporting characters were more successful; Rhea's three sisters are whimsical in a way that adds to the fairy-tale feel of the story without detracting from its substance. Again, this didn't work as well for Rhea. The Witch, interestingly, was a more solid anchor point for the plot, which helped her arc serve as a counterpoint to Rhea's.
I've found that reimagined fairy tales are often most satisfying when they invert common tropes, defying expectations. (Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver, for example, plays heavily with the story of Rumplestiltskin.) Alternately, they can adhere to the original story structure while adding nuance to the characters. (Think Heartless by Marissa Meyer, which explores the Queen of Hearts' descent into villainy and gives all its characters many more shades of morality than the work from which it was derived.) The Waking Forest played most tropes straight, and there was a stark line between good and evil. As such, there was none of the twisty goodness I generally expect in the third act.The greatest deviation from other stories with witches and sleeping princesses was that Rhea is both the witch and the princess, but parallelism and other hints made this clear to readers fairly early.
For me, the aspects of the book I enjoyed most involved Rhea's family. Rhea and her sister Rose both seem to have anxiety, and it's mentioned that their family supports them. (Another character ends the book with symptoms that sound like PTSD, and Rhea is equipped to provide that support in turn.) Rhea's parents' marriage is strong and healthy, which is unusual in fantasy largely because it's rare for both parents to still be alive. It was refreshing to read about a happy, loving family and have the conflict come from external sources.
This was a quick enough read that I don't begrudge it the less-than-satisfying plot; as a whole, the book was fine but not a stand-out favorite. I started out liking Wees' beautiful descriptive language, but over the course of the book, it began to feel overwrought. Still, I'd like to read more from this author in the future because it felt like there was a lot of potential in both prose and story.
I'd recommend The Waking Forest with reservations—readers who are into fairy tales with a traditional feel but a nontraditionally happy ending, this might be for you!
3.5/5 stars - beautiful prose but an ultimately shallow plot
In The Waking Forest, debut author Alyssa Wees got a lot of things right. The novel's structure is of stories within stories, and as such, the fanciful prose is a suitable choice. Themes of light and darkness, princesses and witches, successfully evoke the atmosphere of a fairy tale. The story is on some levels built around family, and the portrayal of a healthy family dynamic that's so rare in fantasy works nicely here.
However, none of this was enough to make up for what—in my eyes—was an oversimplified plot and
characters without adequate depth of personality. I found it difficult to relate to Rhea, the main character, who spent the first two acts of the book confused about what was going on and thus largely incapable of driving the plot. The supporting characters were more successful; Rhea's three sisters are whimsical in a way that adds to the fairy-tale feel of the story without detracting from its substance. Again, this didn't work as well for Rhea. The Witch, interestingly, was a more solid anchor point for the plot, which helped her arc serve as a counterpoint to Rhea's.
I've found that reimagined fairy tales are often most satisfying when they invert common tropes, defying expectations. (Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver, for example, plays heavily with the story of Rumplestiltskin.) Alternately, they can adhere to the original story structure while adding nuance to the characters. (Think Heartless by Marissa Meyer, which explores the Queen of Hearts' descent into villainy and gives all its characters many more shades of morality than the work from which it was derived.) The Waking Forest played most tropes straight, and there was a stark line between good and evil. As such, there was none of the twisty goodness I generally expect in the third act.
For me, the aspects of the book I enjoyed most involved Rhea's family. Rhea and her sister Rose both seem to have anxiety, and it's mentioned that their family supports them. (Another character ends the book with symptoms that sound like PTSD, and Rhea is equipped to provide that support in turn.) Rhea's parents' marriage is strong and healthy, which is unusual in fantasy largely because it's rare for both parents to still be alive. It was refreshing to read about a happy, loving family and have the conflict come from external sources.
This was a quick enough read that I don't begrudge it the less-than-satisfying plot; as a whole, the book was fine but not a stand-out favorite. I started out liking Wees' beautiful descriptive language, but over the course of the book, it began to feel overwrought. Still, I'd like to read more from this author in the future because it felt like there was a lot of potential in both prose and story.
I'd recommend The Waking Forest with reservations—readers who are into fairy tales with a traditional feel but a nontraditionally happy ending, this might be for you!
Thank you to Net Galley for the review copy of this book!
There is a witch in a forest who grants wishes to dreaming children. There is a teenage girl named Rhea who has recurring nightmares and sometimes sees a forest no one else can see. Rhea is offered a chance to find out more about her history and the story of the forest, but she may have to make sacrifices to discover the truth.
New tagline: If Inception met with Sleeping Beauty to become a YA fantasy novel...
Let me explain. The Waking Forest has some interesting dream vs. reality elements that reminded me a little of the movie Inception. I like the notion of dreams spilling into reality and vice versa, but did get confusing to keep the different storylines straight. Intentionally or not, I'm not sure, the plot seemed like a Sleeping Beauty retelling with more fantasy elements. Thankfully Rhea is a stronger and more active protagonist than Sleeping Beauty though. I enjoyed the magic and the fantasy world, and felt the main character's emotional struggle. There were, however, a few plot points that I didn't think made sense and felt kind of disjointed. The use of figurative language in the writing was a little too much for me, as well. Here is an example:
"High overhead there is a choke-spasm of lighting, followed by a cough of thunder, spittle rain bursting from the cloud-crusted lips of the sky."
I do like a good metaphor here and there, but I think they have to be used sparingly to really add to the story. Overall I liked the fantasy, and it was definitely an engaging and quick read. But it was a little confusing, and the writing just wasn't my style. If you enjoy fairytale-like YA fantasy, I think you would like this book!
There is a witch in a forest who grants wishes to dreaming children. There is a teenage girl named Rhea who has recurring nightmares and sometimes sees a forest no one else can see. Rhea is offered a chance to find out more about her history and the story of the forest, but she may have to make sacrifices to discover the truth.
New tagline: If Inception met with Sleeping Beauty to become a YA fantasy novel...
Let me explain. The Waking Forest has some interesting dream vs. reality elements that reminded me a little of the movie Inception. I like the notion of dreams spilling into reality and vice versa, but did get confusing to keep the different storylines straight. Intentionally or not, I'm not sure, the plot seemed like a Sleeping Beauty retelling with more fantasy elements. Thankfully Rhea is a stronger and more active protagonist than Sleeping Beauty though. I enjoyed the magic and the fantasy world, and felt the main character's emotional struggle. There were, however, a few plot points that I didn't think made sense and felt kind of disjointed. The use of figurative language in the writing was a little too much for me, as well. Here is an example:
"High overhead there is a choke-spasm of lighting, followed by a cough of thunder, spittle rain bursting from the cloud-crusted lips of the sky."
I do like a good metaphor here and there, but I think they have to be used sparingly to really add to the story. Overall I liked the fantasy, and it was definitely an engaging and quick read. But it was a little confusing, and the writing just wasn't my style. If you enjoy fairytale-like YA fantasy, I think you would like this book!