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A review by petalpineink
The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees
2.5
I truly wanted to love this book, but it overall missed the mark for me. But I do want to give this author their credit in their absolutely STUNNING ability to build and atmosphere with their beautiful prose that was both melancholic and mysterious. I wanted to rate this read so high just for this alone. The plot, however, was hard for me to connect with.
The first half of the book alternates between Rhea, a girl puzzled by her reoccurring dream that seems to be becoming more and more life like, and The Witch in the Woods, a young witch who grants wishes to others but longs to hear a story of her own. I quite enjoyed the contrast of these two stories happening at once. But as the stories began to overlap and converge, the plot felt too rushed and predictable. I felt I was missing a connection to the characters themselves which hindered me from caring about the conflicts that ensued.
Overall, beautiful writing style, but the plot wasn’t quite strong enough. I’m excited to see what this author may do in the future though, as their ability to paint a picture with words is wonderful.
Thanks NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this read.
The first half of the book alternates between Rhea, a girl puzzled by her reoccurring dream that seems to be becoming more and more life like, and The Witch in the Woods, a young witch who grants wishes to others but longs to hear a story of her own. I quite enjoyed the contrast of these two stories happening at once. But as the stories began to overlap and converge, the plot felt too rushed and predictable. I felt I was missing a connection to the characters themselves which hindered me from caring about the conflicts that ensued.
Overall, beautiful writing style, but the plot wasn’t quite strong enough. I’m excited to see what this author may do in the future though, as their ability to paint a picture with words is wonderful.
Thanks NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this read.