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3.22 AVERAGE
3.22 AVERAGE
I requested this book on NetGalley, after I finished House of Salt and Sorrows because I was on a YA fantasy/magic kick and I didn't want it to end. The title of this one drew me, but the cover was really what pulled me in. That, mixed with magic and witches in the forest sealed the deal. I was excited to get approved pretty quickly and set out reading this one on Feb 15 and finished it that night! It's rare that I finish a whole book in one day, but this one just would not let me go!
This story follows a young lady named Rhea and her family, the Ravennas. She has, sometimes, terrifying visions and has started having sleepwalking dreams. In these, she is walking up to the attic and opening a door. In her most vivid dream/sleepwalking incident, she gets to the attic and is able to open the door, finding something there that she does not like. Along with this, she starts hearing breathing in the dark corners of the attic and notices that a boy made of shadows is up there, waiting for her. When the plot develops and the true nature of the story comes to light, it is almost difficult to comprehend at first. I am not going to give too much away, but this is a book that needs to be read and experienced. It really threw me for a loop, for a while, but ended up making sense in the long run.
Some of the previous reviews on Goodreads made a big fuss about purple prose and how this book is too difficult to get through because of it. I 100% disagree with that statement but also add that it probably takes a certain person at a certain point to pick up this book. Maybe it just isn't for everyone; I loved it. For me, it wasn't really purple prose, but more of just very descriptive and poetic prose. It wasn't purple for me because it didn't take away from my ability to read the story or grasp the content. In all actuality, it just added to the magical setting and helped lend it more of an out-of-this-world mystical feel that worked for the story and all of its magical elements. I highlighted several passages of "purple prose" because they were so beautifully written and the words Wees uses to describe colors and textures is almost too much for my brain to comprehend. Regardless, I loved the way this was written and the almost sing-song poetic feel of it.
Let us talk about these characters! Rhea is a perfectly strong, young, feminist hero figure for this story. I enjoyed her fortitude and strength while she was going through some hard points in this story; never once does she decide to give up or give in to what the villain(s) of the story wanted. I wish I could be as strong as Rhea is. Even after she hears the breathing in the attic, she turns around the next day and goes back to the attic and directly address it. Geez, complete badass!
The sisters and the parents in the Ravenna family are okay; they become much stronger characters as the story progresses. The pet fox, Gabrielle is such a cute character who also becomes a very significant and stronger character in the second part of the book. Her appearance there was actually one of the first times I really got thrown for a loop and had a moment of clarity about the storyline. Hands down, my favorite character was The Darkness/the boy/the fox who is no fox/what is his real name?.... I loved how multidimensional he was, even though he was shrouded in darkness 90% of the time and was never described. As soon as Rhea met him in the attic, I fell in love with the character and the way he spoke and his actions, and how damn sweet he seemed. Gosh. From that moment, I wished and wished that he wasn't a villain.
Perhaps the best part of this book is the plot and how much of a ride it is! At first, this story got me because it had a shadow person in the attic and strange visions, and weird actions of the sisters. It was weird and different and I was really digging it, especially after some things happen with the shadow boy. THEN, the story gets turned upside down on me and the truth comes out, but even then I found myself not even trusting what the author was telling me was the actual plot of the story! That plot twist, paired with the storyline of the witch in the woods and the fox who is no fox and his storytelling just set me on edge and really created a memorable story for me. I almost literally could not put this book down and wanted to keep digging into it and revealing more and more of the story. By the end, I was ready for almost anything Wees was going to throw at me. And, it has a happy ending that is filled with some of the most tender and sweetest dialogue and moments between two characters. Ugh, so good!!!
In the end, I am giving this book 5 stars because it did everything that I want a story to do for me. I was entranced with the plot and fell head over heels for characters. I am pining for this story and more between Rhea and the boy/shadow/?????. I just can't get this story out of my head and cannot wait to see what else Wees writes in the future.
This story follows a young lady named Rhea and her family, the Ravennas. She has, sometimes, terrifying visions and has started having sleepwalking dreams. In these, she is walking up to the attic and opening a door. In her most vivid dream/sleepwalking incident, she gets to the attic and is able to open the door, finding something there that she does not like. Along with this, she starts hearing breathing in the dark corners of the attic and notices that a boy made of shadows is up there, waiting for her. When the plot develops and the true nature of the story comes to light, it is almost difficult to comprehend at first. I am not going to give too much away, but this is a book that needs to be read and experienced. It really threw me for a loop, for a while, but ended up making sense in the long run.
Some of the previous reviews on Goodreads made a big fuss about purple prose and how this book is too difficult to get through because of it. I 100% disagree with that statement but also add that it probably takes a certain person at a certain point to pick up this book. Maybe it just isn't for everyone; I loved it. For me, it wasn't really purple prose, but more of just very descriptive and poetic prose. It wasn't purple for me because it didn't take away from my ability to read the story or grasp the content. In all actuality, it just added to the magical setting and helped lend it more of an out-of-this-world mystical feel that worked for the story and all of its magical elements. I highlighted several passages of "purple prose" because they were so beautifully written and the words Wees uses to describe colors and textures is almost too much for my brain to comprehend. Regardless, I loved the way this was written and the almost sing-song poetic feel of it.
Let us talk about these characters! Rhea is a perfectly strong, young, feminist hero figure for this story. I enjoyed her fortitude and strength while she was going through some hard points in this story; never once does she decide to give up or give in to what the villain(s) of the story wanted. I wish I could be as strong as Rhea is. Even after she hears the breathing in the attic, she turns around the next day and goes back to the attic and directly address it. Geez, complete badass!
The sisters and the parents in the Ravenna family are okay; they become much stronger characters as the story progresses. The pet fox, Gabrielle is such a cute character who also becomes a very significant and stronger character in the second part of the book. Her appearance there was actually one of the first times I really got thrown for a loop and had a moment of clarity about the storyline. Hands down, my favorite character was The Darkness/the boy/the fox who is no fox/what is his real name?.... I loved how multidimensional he was, even though he was shrouded in darkness 90% of the time and was never described. As soon as Rhea met him in the attic, I fell in love with the character and the way he spoke and his actions, and how damn sweet he seemed. Gosh. From that moment, I wished and wished that he wasn't a villain.
Perhaps the best part of this book is the plot and how much of a ride it is! At first, this story got me because it had a shadow person in the attic and strange visions, and weird actions of the sisters. It was weird and different and I was really digging it, especially after some things happen with the shadow boy. THEN, the story gets turned upside down on me and the truth comes out, but even then I found myself not even trusting what the author was telling me was the actual plot of the story! That plot twist, paired with the storyline of the witch in the woods and the fox who is no fox and his storytelling just set me on edge and really created a memorable story for me. I almost literally could not put this book down and wanted to keep digging into it and revealing more and more of the story. By the end, I was ready for almost anything Wees was going to throw at me. And, it has a happy ending that is filled with some of the most tender and sweetest dialogue and moments between two characters. Ugh, so good!!!
In the end, I am giving this book 5 stars because it did everything that I want a story to do for me. I was entranced with the plot and fell head over heels for characters. I am pining for this story and more between Rhea and the boy/shadow/?????. I just can't get this story out of my head and cannot wait to see what else Wees writes in the future.
A este libro le tenía unas expectativas bárbaras. Por la sinopsis pensé que era una especie de retelling, un cuento de hadas y de cierta forma lo es, pero no como esperaba.
Está dividido en dos partes: la primera parte se me hizo lenta, sentí que habían algunas repeticiones que entendí como importantes para que la protagonista entienda ciertas cosas; en la segunda parte tuve más conflicto, porque sentí que se resuelve rápido y quería más jajajaja.
Hay idas y vueltas, situaciones raras, oscuras, se cambia de escenario rápidamente.
Todo transcurre entre sueños y realidad, para que comprendan un poco mejor.
Creo que no fue del todo para mí, a pesar de que la idea está buena.
Está dividido en dos partes: la primera parte se me hizo lenta, sentí que habían algunas repeticiones que entendí como importantes para que la protagonista entienda ciertas cosas; en la segunda parte tuve más conflicto, porque sentí que se resuelve rápido y quería más jajajaja.
Hay idas y vueltas, situaciones raras, oscuras, se cambia de escenario rápidamente.
Todo transcurre entre sueños y realidad, para que comprendan un poco mejor.
Creo que no fue del todo para mí, a pesar de que la idea está buena.
I would recommend this book to readers 16-19 that enjoy Gothic prose and rich details that give the reader a genuine sense of the turmoil the main character experiences.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was genuinely excited to read this story. While I appreciated certain elements and found some aspects of the writing engaging, there were moments when the prose felt overwhelming. Additionally, I couldn't help but feel that the main character remained somewhat uncertain of what is happening to her until the very last pages 😅
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think this book has some pretty writing but it also really feels like it is overly descriptive. The use of some figurative language like alliteration gets cloying. I feel like it was a moody read that was ethereal. I liked the main character but I did t really know her. This may have been intentional as that is kinda a plot element. Having read her later book, I know the author is a great author! This one just didn’t hit it home for me.
This book had such an interesting premise, but I feel it fell short in its execution. I absolutely loved the writing style though; the language in this book was so beautiful and uncomfortable to most others that I have read. I wish the book would have been longer so that more world building could have occurred.
Thank you to netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me an e-arc of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review
This was a fun fantasy novel. Very ethereal, whimsical, and fairy tale-esq. There are two main timelines, one about a witch who grants wishes to children and lives in the woods and another about a mostly normal girl in the modern world who is plagued by recurring dreams. I really enjoyed the difference in the writing and the narrator's treatment between the two story arcs. They were easy to identify through narrative style.
I had a hard time getting invested in the book, however. I did not like the narrator's accent in the real-world parts and the whole thing was just a little too dreamy and unreal for my taste. However, I'm sure this book will have many fans.
This was a fun fantasy novel. Very ethereal, whimsical, and fairy tale-esq. There are two main timelines, one about a witch who grants wishes to children and lives in the woods and another about a mostly normal girl in the modern world who is plagued by recurring dreams. I really enjoyed the difference in the writing and the narrator's treatment between the two story arcs. They were easy to identify through narrative style.
I had a hard time getting invested in the book, however. I did not like the narrator's accent in the real-world parts and the whole thing was just a little too dreamy and unreal for my taste. However, I'm sure this book will have many fans.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book had so much potential. The writing comes off too forced….if that makes sense. The story it’s self was interesting, but just didn’t come together like I hoped
Two tales intertwined. The Witch who lives in the forest granting wishes to children who visit her in their dreams. Her only companion is the Fox-Who-Is-Not-A-Fox who comes to tell her stories. On the other side there's Rhea and her family. Rhea has visions of things that aren't there, and one day a forest appears in her backyard when she goes to touch it the forest disappears. She's desperate for answers, so when the Darkness in her attic tells her that it will reveal all the secrets, if only she plays a game this tale gets a little more complicated.
It had strong fairy-tale vibes, and the back and forth between The Witch and Rhea was interesting. The familial relationships were well written and nice. It was a fine read, I didn't hate it. But I didn't really like it either. Based on the premise I think I was expecting something darker, and although magical and in moments creepy this was not a dark tale.
It had strong fairy-tale vibes, and the back and forth between The Witch and Rhea was interesting. The familial relationships were well written and nice. It was a fine read, I didn't hate it. But I didn't really like it either. Based on the premise I think I was expecting something darker, and although magical and in moments creepy this was not a dark tale.
First and foremost, I would like to thank the very nice people at Netgalley for providing this book to read and review.
The Waking Forest is a beautiful book. The way Wees writes is very descriptive, evoking emotion with even the smallest turn of phrase. The characters of Rhea and her family are portrayed in a very realistic manner thanks to this. Rhea and her sisters squabble one minute then help each other out the next, something someone with siblings of their own will easily recognize.
The drawback though is that sometimes Wees’ descriptions become too much. The narrative becomes bogged down with descriptive words and phrases and the story itself slows to a crawl.
For the first half of the book, the story is told from two separate point of views – Rhea’s and the Witch’s. As each story is unique with its own set of characters, it’s easy to keep track of who goes where. It is only during the second half when the two stories are combined that things become a little more difficult to follow. Individuals who were sisters in one part now have no relation and the same but different.
Sadly, it is almost impossible to accurately describe the goings on without giving away massive spoilers, so I shall refrain from going further.
In writing The Waking Forest, Wees has created a unique story line. While there are some flaws, overall I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it to my readers.