I loved the lyrical quality to the writing. This book was just a treasure to read. It had a dark fairy tale quality to it, yet managed to entirely surprise me.

I wasn’t able to finish this book. Because of this, it is my policy not to review the book on my site or on Goodreads/Amazon. I also didn’t mark it DNF.

another case of the quoted comps of pan’s labyrinth and the hazel wood over-inflating my expectations going into the read and ultimately not delivering at the same level as the quoted comps. i wanted to like this book and i continually tried to. if my expectations going in weren’t as hyped up maybe i would have liked this more but unfortunately that wasn’t my experience. disappointing because the pitch sounded so cool and up my alley.

I really wanted to like this, the synopsis was so promising. It was a plot within a plot and it made very little sense.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. While the premise was intriguing, I could not get invested in the first few chapters. Definitely a "it's me, not the book" scenario.

The writing of this book is beautiful, but its also extremely slow paced and it take a lot of concentration to try to figure out what the heck is going on. It's two different stories really, merging into one eventually. Overall, it's a good book if you just let yourself enjoy the ride instead of trying to understand exactly what is going on.

"I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I am not afraid."

This story starts out slow. I was undecided if I was liking it almost to the half way point. But once it picks up it gets good. It starts off with two different story lines. One follows Rhea Ravenna, a girl plagued by her dreams. The second follows the Witch in the Woods, a witch that grants wishes to children who find her inbetween sleeping and waking.

I went into this story not remembering ever reading the synopsis. So I didn't know what I was in for. I am glad I did that though as I went in with more of an open mind then I might have. The writing is very poetic in this book. For a debut book for Alyssa Wees this was a very good first. Cant wait to see what comes from this author in the future!

Thank you Netgalley for this eArc to review.

This book. This book was breathtaking. It was magical and dark and ethereal and spellbinding. It was three enchanting stories converging into one. Ugh. My heart aches in the best of ways.

Favorite quotes:

“I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think any of that is because of your magic. It sounds like anxiety. It sounds like you have panic attacks. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn’t make you weak or not able to handle things.”

“She could exist without him, dance on her own, quite well, in fact–but it was he who brought her back around to herself, somehow. Transformed her line into a circle.”

Thank you for the opportunity to read this title. Unfortunately, it is not for me. Since I didn't finish it, I will not post a review on Goodreads. Thanks again and best of luck!

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Waking Forest is Alyssa Wees’s debut novel from 2019. I have been horribly remiss in my duty to write my honest opinion, and humbly apologize for my negligence.

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 pay. To the With, 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 stranger is 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? (This is the GoodReads synopsis of the novel)

It took me so long to begin this novel because the beginning was so confusing and slow. I had so many questions by chapter 5 that made me feel lost. So I would stop reading and find another book. However, I finally went past that chapter and things began to make sense. Part of the problem was the two story lines and how they didn’t appear at first to mesh together. The other problem was that, while the writing was very well done, it was almost overwhelming sometimes. I appreciate an author describing a scene or a feeling to the point that I could feel it too, but there is a point where it can feel overly described to the point that it almost doesn’t make any sense. The descriptions gave me different fairy tale vibes, like Sleeping Beauty, Hazelwood, and Snow White, so it also didn’t feel like the story had a clear cur direction at the beginning. However, the two story lines do eventually merge, and the novel flourishes as a fairy story should. I love the use of magic, more specifically HOW it was being used once I received an explanation. The witch in the woods, children being granted their wishes, and Rhea and her sisters all began to become a new type of fairy tale uniquely it’s own. I especially liked the very ending and how the wishes were being distributed.

At the heart of this story is family. Rhea is a strong character who loves her parents and her sisters very much. As a young adult fantasy novel, there is usually more romance and adventure than anything else. There is a small romance but it is not the predominant layer. Everything Rhea does is for the sake of her family. That is not to say that the author makes them all lovey-dovey. Instead, she displays a healthy realistic sibling relationship, where there are arguments, but there is mainly the driving desire to save one another. I also enjoyed the inclusion of mental health, mainly anxiety, and how the author adequately wrote those feelings for Rhea and for Rose. As someone who lives with mental illness, I appreciated the words Rhea spoke to Rose regarding her anxiety, and how screams can make someone feel put back together and not pulled apart.

Overall I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.

This is a new kind of fairytale and different that I generally read.

There was a lot to enjoy here. The concept of the main character being seen as an outsider with her family was not exactly new, though the author does a good job of describing the nuances of Rhea, the main character's, family.

The dual storylines were slightly confusing at first and I wasn't sure how they would come together, but it made sense in the end. It was difficult to understand how they merged at first and, at times, a bit convoluted.

Some of the writing was a little fluffy? Unnecessarily poetic? I'm not too sure, but it seemed out of place given the overall writing of the author is strong. There were points where it was difficult to stay engaged because it seemed as if the writing style changed.

Overall the themes related to family and self-development were slowly, though well, developed and came together nicely in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

While this book was beautifully written and had gorgeous prose, the plot was a mess. I am still a little confused on how the Witch and Rhea were the same person at the same time, but I do understand how her true identity factors into everything. I can understand what the author was trying to do, but the execution wasn't great and left the plot feeling jumbled. I spent a majority of the book wondering where it was going to go, and the ending was ok. I think the romance wasn't fleshed out enough considering the impact it had at the end.
However, I really did enjoy how the author described people--it felt like I was reading a fairytale at times. I saved a lot of quotes from this book and think that the author has a lot of potential. I will consider picking up more from Alyssa when she reveals her next work.

The first half of this book was intriguing and held my interest. Around the mid point it started bogging down. There seemed to be less world development from then on. Overall, the characters were interesting, but the prose seemed a bit too wordy in places. It isn't a single story, but three tied together. I think this is why I feel it bogged down around the middle, The shift was abrupt. Overall, an entertaining read.

Can’t fault the authors imagination but the execution isn’t to the same level of expertise. Strong grasp of language and imagery but this doesn’t make a lot of sense for far too much of the narrative. Finished to see if my theory for the ending was correct and of course it was. Bleh. ★½

I am having a hard time rating this one. The beginning is so, so good. The language is opaque - thick, difficult to decipher, possibly too descriptive - but it works. Because you are in a fairy tale, and those happen in a dreamworld where things are slightly off, which sometimes, is beautiful, and other times, is frightening. The book lures you in, in spite of the offputting language, and the murkiness of the story, as well as the inevitable solution - to part one.

Because although I can understand why the author keeps going - that is, why there is a part 2 at all... it doesn't work. It decays, like the cavity in a tooth. And while I don't regret having read it, the ending takes what started as a solid, minimum-4 star rating, and devolves it. What I can't decide is what it is devolved to. You might like it if you're a big SF&F fan. Otherwise, I'd give it a pass.

Ultimately, this was a book that I think will really resonate with some readers but it wasn't for me. The story relies on a lot of purple prose, which isn't inherently bad, but it ended up dragging down the narrative and confusing me as I read. I found myself skimming over the purple prose and then getting confused because partway through I had missed some key plot details or character revelations.

Still, I did love the idea of this story. I love interwoven narratives and fairytales, and although I complained about the writing, it did help contribute to a magical atmosphere. The two plotlines were both interesting enough if a bit predictable, but that's a given within the world of YA fantasy at this point. What started off as very original ended up transitioning into a cliche, alas.

This book is for a specific type of reader, one who enjoys a slow and meandering narrative full of atmosphere and haunting writing. That reader, unfortunately, is not me, which is why I ended up taking a long time to read this one.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to have an e-arc of The Waking Forest. Unfortunately at this moment in time, I just was a bit bored and am caving in and DNFing this one. The writing seems great and the atmosphere is slightly creepy, but I just don’t see this being exciting for me and there’s so many books to be read. Unfortunately DNF at 30%. I’m so sorry!!

I find myself drawn to stories that are a bit dark and weird and I found that with Alyssa Wees', The Waking Forest. I liked that it alternated back and forth between different characters within the book. It centers around Reha who finds herself having nightmares even when she is awake and a witch in the woods that grants wishes. The book was a bit slow for most of the first half of the book, but once I got towards the end it seemed as though the book really picked up the pace with the style of writing changing and the characters evolving.

I really enjoyed The Waking Forest. It was very atmospheric. The writing was a little too flowery for my tastes but it was still enjoyable.

This was definitely super atmospheric and made me terrified to ever go into a forest, however it was boring and I just didn't mesh well with the writing style.