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librarygoddess619's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook and found the jumping back and forth between the past and present confusing, especially because the narrator was the same. My other complaint is that there are a lot of characters to keep track of and I got confused between them in the end. One last complaint: the pace... slow pace throughout. Not terrible writing, but not my favorite book either. I'd give this ⭐⭐⭐1/2
aimeekimbo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
beccajbooks's review against another edition
5.0
The Shadow Friend is the second book by author Alex North. His first, The Whisper Man, was a really really excellent read, so I was so thrilled to get an early copy of North's next offering. I wasn't disappointed, and this one was another 5 star read!
The Shadow Friend follows Paul, a 40 year old ex resident of Gritten Wood, a small forgotten town on the outskirts of everywhere else, and his return to his hometown to visit his dying mother. Gritten Wood is close to Featherbank, where North's first novel is set, and the crossover between the two is the detective Amanda Beck.
Amanda is investigating the murder of a local boy, which has similarities with a murder 25 years ago involving Paul and some of his friends.
There isn't much more I can say about the plot that wouldn't give it away and this is such a thrilling book, that you really don't want spoilers.
I read this over a week and it only took me that long because I had to read it in the day, as I couldn't read it when I went to bed as it was just so creepy! I don't get creeped out by books often, and I can't even tell you exactly what was so scary about this book. But I just couldn't read it right before I went to sleep!
The story explores lucid dreams and 'incubation'. I'd never heard of these before, and I don't think I'll look into them further either. The descriptions in this book of the dream state and the things that can happen, was interesting and chilling.
Alex North writes really well, his narrative is flowing and descriptive. You feel as though you are there with the characters in those creepy woods behind Paul's house - The Shadows. You can feel his apprehension and disappointment at Charlie's increasing hold over James and what that means for their friendship.
I enjoyed reading this one so much, and I'm really glad I read it quite soon after The Whisper Man. I liked that the stories had the Featherbank link and that Amanda Beck was a character in this one too. When reading The Whisper Man, you don't necessarily feel that she will be a focus going forward, but I'm glad she was.
I would recommend this to thriller and horror fans. The plot was quite complex, but once you got your head around it, it was really clever. Definitely give this one a go when it comes out.
https://thebeautifulbookbreak.com
The Shadow Friend follows Paul, a 40 year old ex resident of Gritten Wood, a small forgotten town on the outskirts of everywhere else, and his return to his hometown to visit his dying mother. Gritten Wood is close to Featherbank, where North's first novel is set, and the crossover between the two is the detective Amanda Beck.
Amanda is investigating the murder of a local boy, which has similarities with a murder 25 years ago involving Paul and some of his friends.
There isn't much more I can say about the plot that wouldn't give it away and this is such a thrilling book, that you really don't want spoilers.
I read this over a week and it only took me that long because I had to read it in the day, as I couldn't read it when I went to bed as it was just so creepy! I don't get creeped out by books often, and I can't even tell you exactly what was so scary about this book. But I just couldn't read it right before I went to sleep!
The story explores lucid dreams and 'incubation'. I'd never heard of these before, and I don't think I'll look into them further either. The descriptions in this book of the dream state and the things that can happen, was interesting and chilling.
Alex North writes really well, his narrative is flowing and descriptive. You feel as though you are there with the characters in those creepy woods behind Paul's house - The Shadows. You can feel his apprehension and disappointment at Charlie's increasing hold over James and what that means for their friendship.
I enjoyed reading this one so much, and I'm really glad I read it quite soon after The Whisper Man. I liked that the stories had the Featherbank link and that Amanda Beck was a character in this one too. When reading The Whisper Man, you don't necessarily feel that she will be a focus going forward, but I'm glad she was.
I would recommend this to thriller and horror fans. The plot was quite complex, but once you got your head around it, it was really clever. Definitely give this one a go when it comes out.
https://thebeautifulbookbreak.com
rouselle's review against another edition
3.0
A horrific ritualistic crime was committed 25 years ago in the small town of Gritten. Two boys were responsible for the killing.
Billy Roberts was caught when he wandered into town with bloodied clothes, clutching the knife used for the murder and a mysterious dream diary.
The other boy, Charlie Crabtree, was never seen again.
Over the years, the gruesome murder grew a cult online following, inspiring the emergence of true crime blogs and fan forums.
And copycat murders.
Paul Adams used to hang out with those boys. He knew about Charlie's fascination with lucid dreaming and what he did to their teacher's dog. And for years, he carried the guilt of not trying hard enough to stop Charlie.
But now, Paul's mother is dying, and he has no choice but to come home and face the inevitable. He'd been running away from Gritten for so long, and now he must deal with the memories like a man.
Especially when he discovers a string of ritualistic murders that seems to be tied to the Gritten murder all those years ago, and no one still knows what happened to Charlie Crabtree.
The Shadows is creepy and atmospheric with an intriguing concept about lucid dreams. There were some revelations that caught me off guard and literally made me go 'whoa!'. Alex North really has the talent for building up the suspense and filling you with dread and unease.
But it lacked the heart-pounding and pulse-racing suspense that I really loved about his earlier novel, The Whisper Man.
Although I was a bit disappointed with the ending, I think it's still a thrilling and compulsive read.
Billy Roberts was caught when he wandered into town with bloodied clothes, clutching the knife used for the murder and a mysterious dream diary.
The other boy, Charlie Crabtree, was never seen again.
Over the years, the gruesome murder grew a cult online following, inspiring the emergence of true crime blogs and fan forums.
And copycat murders.
Paul Adams used to hang out with those boys. He knew about Charlie's fascination with lucid dreaming and what he did to their teacher's dog. And for years, he carried the guilt of not trying hard enough to stop Charlie.
But now, Paul's mother is dying, and he has no choice but to come home and face the inevitable. He'd been running away from Gritten for so long, and now he must deal with the memories like a man.
Especially when he discovers a string of ritualistic murders that seems to be tied to the Gritten murder all those years ago, and no one still knows what happened to Charlie Crabtree.
The Shadows is creepy and atmospheric with an intriguing concept about lucid dreams. There were some revelations that caught me off guard and literally made me go 'whoa!'. Alex North really has the talent for building up the suspense and filling you with dread and unease.
But it lacked the heart-pounding and pulse-racing suspense that I really loved about his earlier novel, The Whisper Man.
Although I was a bit disappointed with the ending, I think it's still a thrilling and compulsive read.
jprice94's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cornpoppy's review against another edition
4.0
تا نیمههای کتاب دلم میخواست به کتاب پنج ستاره بدن، ولی بعد پایانش نظرم عوض شد.
این کتاب هم مثل کتاب نجواگر پر از وهم و خیاله و موضوعش مربوط میشه به خواب، خوابی که ما میتونیم داخلش هر اتفاقی رو رقم بزنیم و قسر در بریم. خوابی که حتی میشه باهاش قتل انجام داد و تو عالم رویا ناپدید شد.
این کتابو بیشتر از نجواگر دوست داشتم.
پایانش باب طبع من نبود اما چیزی از جذابیت کتاب کم نمیکنه.
این کتاب هم مثل کتاب نجواگر پر از وهم و خیاله و موضوعش مربوط میشه به خواب، خوابی که ما میتونیم داخلش هر اتفاقی رو رقم بزنیم و قسر در بریم. خوابی که حتی میشه باهاش قتل انجام داد و تو عالم رویا ناپدید شد.
این کتابو بیشتر از نجواگر دوست داشتم.
پایانش باب طبع من نبود اما چیزی از جذابیت کتاب کم نمیکنه.
_octolad_'s review against another edition
1.0
Okay now this one I genuinely don’t remember a single god damned thing about. So I don’t know if I liked it or not. It couldn’t have been that good if I can’t remember anything about it.
hollyb15's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75