This book is split in two distinct categories for me. The first half is like a paranormal spooky is-she-crazy sort of read. It takes place in a time similar to our own with the same sky, stars, moons, people, places, etc. There is mundane things like ice cream and dance classes that tend to counter balance Rhea's visions of otherworldly creatures and destruction. Along with the very ominous and creepy forest that does not really exist appearing behind her house. I really enjoyed the first part, it felt very The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Eerie and you aren't sure if the visions is all in Rhea's head or if something seriously messed up is happening. 

The second part of the book was firmly fantasy with magical creatures, magical people, a tyrannical king, and so on. This part of the book I enjoyed less as I felt like it was very over the top compared to the mundane of where Rhea is coming from in the beginning. I did however really enjoy the clash of Rhea and the Witch. I had an idea of how they might be connected but would have never actually put it together the way Alyssa Wees did. The fox that is not a fox was also my favorite part of the Witches parts. 

Overall the writing was beautiful if not tedious at times. I felt like the flourish of words and tantalizing descriptions was lost on the later half of the book as the world was already so mesmerizing and full of secrets. The ending conflict was also a bit confusing for me as I felt like it was drawn out and yet nothing really happened. The fight took place in the dark though so it could have to do with the lack of description to the scene. At the end of the day I really did enjoy this book. Fun and eerie enough to possibly read again maybe in October to set the mood. As a debut author I really look forward to what else Alyssa Wees will come up with.

This book is pure poetry. The prose is so wonderful and whimsical, it drew me in immediately. Unfortunately, that’s all it was. There was no clear plot, and the book tried to be too many things. There was zero plot. It tried to piece it together in the end but since everything was so fragmented I found I didn’t care. I found I was asking what was happening, instead of what happens next, which is not ideal.

I recieved an e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and are not influenced by this opportunity.

I was immediately drawn to The Waking Forest because that cover is serious goals! It is so creepy and mystifying and makes you want to read this book. I had to know what happens, with a cover so dark and daunting how could this book be anything less than amazing!?

And it, mostly was. I am honestly still trying to process what exactly I read while I write this review. There were some elements of the story that left me incredibly confused, which made it hard progressing through the book because half the time I had no idea what was happening. There were also some things that I really enjoyed though! So like I said, I’m very confused on my feelings about this one 😶

Let’s start with the things I liked about The Waking Forest. First and foremost, the BEAUTIFUL writing! Alyssa very much knows her way around the written word because my god I was immediately drawn in by her style of writing. I love a good story that weaves in beautiful and enchanting metaphors and prose. To me, the writing was the strongest aspect of this book. Because of this I also really liked how dark The Waking Forest was. Honestly though, I wish it was DARKER! There was so much more that could have been done with this story, so much more detail that could have taken this book to the next level.

Also, this story was basically Inception inside of Inception. For a while there I thought I was going crazy but I’m fairly certain now I understand what happened in this story 🤣 just imagine Inception but with basically a dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

I think there was a few things that could have been done better that would have made me love this story all the much more. One thing is I was hoping for more world building! The Waking Forest is partially set in a dark and creepy forest and partially set in a Kingdom with a glorious castle but I couldn’t really imagine either because the details were really lacking in this area. This didn’t make me like the book any less, I still really enjoyed it, I just want more from this story!

On to a couple things I wasn’t a big fan of, first I’ll start with the naming convention. Okay, not going to lie. Most of this book I had no idea who was who, I have no idea why but none of the names stuck with me. I think maybe because there was never clear descriptions of all the characters so I couldn’t imagine a face to put a name to. Also with that, all of their names in the main family started with R and were all incredibly similar so I just, couldn’t remember 🤷‍♀️

The other big thing I just can’t seem to grasp is the fact that this book is split into two parts but they have almost no relation. They feel very disjointed and I almost view them as two separate stories. At this point I also started to get incredibly confused by the plot, when Rhea and the Witch’s stories (which have been alternating chapters/separate stories until now) culminate and intersect I began to lose interest. I think Alyssa did such a fantastic job writing their stories *separately* that when they began weaving together it just got too convoluted for me to follow.

I do actually think this was a great book, it had a lot more potential though! If you like the dark creepy fantasies that are not too dense then I highly recommend this story. Especially because the writing is SO beautiful! I will be thinking of that writing for quite a while.

DNF at 15%
As compelling as the plot seemed I can already tell that the writing is not for me. I will not be finishing or doing a full review for this reason. The purple prose really isn’t for me and I am personally sensitive to darker creepier imagery. Though at times it is fine, in this scenario it wasn’t working for me. I would recommend this for people who might have liked The Hazel Wood, Shatter Me, or possibly Wintersong.

DNF @ 55% including the ending
Sadly this wasn't a book for me at all. While some of the imagery was good in the beginning, this book didn't deliver in a few ways. My first major problem was the writing style. To me, it was overly done and didn't feel natural. Some of the sentences were just odd and didn't make sense or evoke anything out of me. Also, the amount of foreshadowing killed any revelations that happened later. I predicted two major things for the end and I ended up being right. The final problem for me was the pacing. I had 100+ pages in normal order for the amount of those pages, not much happened to keep me engaged. I think the writing will be very polarizing for people. I wanted to like this, but it didn't happen which is a bummer.

This one just wasn’t for me. The premise was very interesting, but the story was confusing and I found myself lost as to what was happening, plus the numerous characters introduced. I am sure this will appeal to some readers, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

You'll LOVE it if...you enjoy fantasy with diverse group of female characters.

I occasionally come across a very well-phrased criticism of the notion of "strong female characters", which I agree with more each time I read it. The gist is that not every female character in the media we consume has to be strong; women and girls are as nuanced as their male counterparts, which means they suffer from doubt, cowardice, selfishness, and a whole host of traits and flaws that make them human. It's important that readers get to experience female characters with all the different kinds of strengths and weaknesses, morals, and motivations that male characters have enjoyed. Rose and her sisters are all distinct, engaging characters with a familial dynamic that is instantly believable. And while this is primarily a tale of Rose's growth, the bonds that connect her and the rest of her family are compelling as well. This applies to both the fantasy and modern worlds, characteristics and relationships translating seamlessly between the two. No matter your personality, there's a young woman in The Waking Forest that will feel familiar, sympathetic, and worth rooting for.

You'll LIKE it if...you're a fan of dark fairy tales.

The atmosphere that Alyssa builds up throughout the book — and across all of the locations, both fantastical and recognizable — is delightfully spooky. In fact, my only complaint is that I wish readers got to spend even more time with the Witch in her forest, purely because those were my favorite interludes in the book. The central mystery of Rose's connection to the Witch means that the vague and insistent threat carried in the wooded home of the latter permeates the entire book, literally and figuratively. As the imagery and sensations of the Witch's realm bleed over into Rose's reality devastation of some kind feels inescapable. Stakes are certainly high as the novel enters its final act; once you start Part II, be prepared to blaze through the final one hundred pages without stopping! And the payoff for the mystery was unexpected and satisfying, which should make fantasy fans happily embrace it.

You MAY NOT LIKE it if...keeping up with a "dream versus reality" conflict stresses you out.

One of my favorite aspects to The Waking Forest — the uncertainty and instability of what constitutes "reality" — might be more of a distraction than an indulgence for some readers. Wees deploys the tactic exceptionally well, so this drawback comes down to reader preference. If this type of storytelling device frustrates or confuses you to the point of detracting from the greater narrative, you may want to tread carefully here. Considering the well-drawn suspense and satisfying payoff, however, The Waking Forest is more than worth a try for those who generally avoid this kind of plot, or for readers who don't usually gravitate towards it.

It took me until about 60% of this book to finally just sit back and read it for enjoyment rather than trying to understand what it was exactly that I was reading. The Waking Forest is written in a poetic way, with descriptions that are above and beyond, and metaphors and similes galore. You don't simply just read this book, you actually experience it. It is almost a mental head trip through a magical forest, and a ghostly attic. I had to finally just drop the reins and let the book take me where it would because trying to understand every little detail will drive you insane.  I didn't hate it, but at the same time I didn't love it either because of the fact that I was trying to so hard in the beginning to solve the mystery and catch any little nuance that would give me a clue as to what it all meant. But that only lead me to more confusion and it wasn't until I finally just said, oh well lets just read this for the mystery it is, that I was finally able to just enjoy the words on the page. Its not your typical story with a clear this is the beginning, middle, and end. You jump around a lot from one world to another and learn of all sorts of events that happen in the between. But somehow they all do manage to come together in the end.

The Waking Forest is two different stories in one. Told from alternating chapters, one story is of a girl named Rhea who lives with her family in a beach house and suffers from nightmares regardless if she is asleep or awake. Doctors and her parents have summed it up to stress and anxiety, but when one especially vivid nightmare leads Rhea to think that sleeping in the attic will solve her sleepwalking problem she discovers a whole new side to her condition. In the dark of the attic, Rhea is confronted by a boy who is made of the dark, who cannot be seen in the light. He tells her that if she can remember his name, then he will cure her. The other story in The Waking Forest is of the Witch in the Woods who waits for children to come to her in their dreams and ask for a wish. The Witch lives only to grant others wishes and has none of her own, until one day a brother and sister who are much older than any other children who have ever come to her before, arrive and disrupt her happy little life of bliss and dancing and wishes. When the brother and sister leave, the boy asks the Witch what her wish is. Not having ever been asked this she says she has no wish, only to give wishes to children who come to her. But when the boy shows up again another night disguised as a fox, the Witch begins to realize she is living a lie and maybe she does have a wish of her own.

The atmosphere in this book was very eerie and not quite magical, but mystical would be the better word to describe it. The characters seem unreliable in the sense that none of them really knows whats going on, and therefore as a reader neither do you. I kept waiting for a clue to fall into place as to what the woods are behind the beach house, or if the witch is real or a myth, and who is the boy in the attic!?? But the further into the book you go, the more questions seem to pop up. The beach house where Rhea and her many other R named sisters run around is easy to imagine with the garden in the backyard, and a house full of girls. And the woods where the Witch resides is such a creepy yet simple life with her foxes and castle made of teeth and bones. I had no problem visualizing this story especially with all of the rich descriptions. And with a very distinct, haunting atmosphere there is no question how you are to picture the setting.

The setting is also set more towards current times in the real world setting where Rhea lives. There are cell phones and cars and all the technology we use today in our lives. So its refreshing when some of the main characters are shown in a less than perfect light. Rhea like I mentioned above, is a victim of extreme anxiety. Her nightmares and sleep walking don't help in this respect but she has a great home support system with a family that looks out for her and helps her to realize she will get through it even though at the time it can seem like the end of the world. Anxiety is a real problem for some people and its good to have this representation in a book so people can know they are not alone in their struggle and they too will get through this. Also towards the end we realize that Rhea isn't the only one struggling. And guess who steps up to the plate to help, Rhea.

I don't know that I would highly recommend this book to many people just because I did struggle with the flow of the plot and the writing a little bit. I am a huge fan of creative writing and poetic phrases, but in the end I still want to understand what I'm reading and feel less like I'm trying to decipher a hidden clue in a Dr. Seuss book. Some people might fall in love with this book though for all the same reasons it just wasn't for me. While the writing bothered me, it was still good writing. And the author has a very distinct way of describing everything with life and emotion tied into each and every description. I'm sure that this was a huge labor of love on her part and for that I can't hate it. But for me, I would like that effort to be applied into other areas of the book such as the plot and the characters. I like to feel like I'm not reading but a part of the story myself and I couldn't get into The Waking Forest like I wanted to because I was constantly rereading entire paragraphs thinking, "What did I just read?" and because of this my reading flow was constantly interrupted. Its a great story but the reading experience that goes along with it takes some getting used to. If you do decide to read this, I hope you love it and enjoy the ride!

I had really high hopes for THE WAKING FOREST and I sadly was disappointed. I tried several times to get into the story but I felt little to no connection with the characters and feel like it was executed poorly. Sadly this one wasn't for me, but I have seen many other people love this one.

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Waking Forest is an experience! I had no idea what was going on for the first half of the book, but I had my guesses and trusted the author to get me to where I needed to go for the story to make sense. I really enjoyed how strange and dark everything was; the mood was absolutely perfect for what was going on and the writing is absolutely GORGEOUS. It is expertly crafted language and I would read it just for the beautiful lines, to be honest. Luckily, the plot is pretty interesting too.

We follow two characters: Rhea, a girl who has living nightmares and the Witch: a girl who grants children wishes. They are each struggling with a strange visitor into their world and try to figure out what he wants and how to get rid of him so they can keep living their lives. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding both these stories and had a fun time guessing what was going on.

However, the story itself fell apart a little once we find out what's going on, unfortunately. Up until then, the world building and characterization were fantastic, but the pacing started to feel rushed and things didn't seem as fleshed as they were in the beginning part of the book. I kept getting lost as to what was happening and how everything was connected. However, the beginning of the book did such a good job in establishing the characters that I was still satisfied by the ending and pulled in enough by them to make it through to the end.

I would not give this book to a reluctant reader; things are very confusing for most of the book and you have to trust the story and author that it will work out and start making sense; I can see this being very frustrating for someone just starting out reading. Fans of weirder sort of stories or dark fantasy will enjoy this, I think.

The Waking Forest was not what I wanted. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that it was bad.

That's not to say that I could have written this book myself. The Waking Forest had so much thought put into it, so much passion into every single sentence-- and that's precisely where I found fault with it. I had to look up the phrase "purple prose" after glimpsing at others' Goodreads reviews of this book, and it's hands-down the best way to describe most of the chapters. Especially with the "In the Woods" chapters-- or whatever they were called-- and the very first section, there were so many metaphors that didn't make any sense that I could not take anything seriously. And it's got a pretty serious plot. When you struggle not to cringe at the way something as simple as the moon is described, then you know the book you're reading has got a problem.

Plot-wise, The Waking Forest just wasn't interesting. Maybe it's that I'm sick of things not being as they seem, or girls that have mysterious and creepy visions, or knowing what the plot-twist is way before it happens. Like, the protagonist's life was a lie and she's just been dreaming this whole time? And she's actually the Witch of Wishes? Wow. I couldn't have guessed that from the foreshadowing at all.

I'm sick of fairy tale stories gone wrong, I'm sick of retellings, and I'm sick of prose that goes way too far. Unfortunately, The Waking Forest has all of these factors, and now I'm going to need a better book to get the bad taste of fox out of my mouth.

This is the kind of book that makes you feel like you are reading the fairytales of your childhood. It is woven with wisps of darkness you get from a Grimm and is as enchanting as a Disney movie.

The Waking Forest alternates between Rhea and the Witch of Wishes. Rhea, who has disturbing visions, and who can see a forest at the bottom of her back garden that nobody else can see, and that disappears whenever Rhea tries to enter. And a boy made of darkness, who challenges Rhea to an ominous game: speak his name, or they both lose.

And the Witch of Wishes, who lives in the forest, sitting on her throne of carved bone, granting wishes to dreaming children by plucking wish petals from the rose within her heart.

After those she loves simply disappear, and after a fairy tale that is no fairy tale, Rhea’s path converges with the Witch’s in the most brilliant, dazzling way.

I wanted to love this more, but I felt the pacing was too slow and I didn't like the dual POV as much as I wanted to. The writing is lovely and I love the idea of the "darkness", "the fox that was not a fox", and the constellations tattoo the dad had.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees is such a beautifully written fantasy. The language and imagery use captivated me, and I couldn't put the book down. However, there seemed to be a disconnect from the first part and the second part. In my opinion this could have easily been broken down into a two book series. The Waking Forest was still an amazing read, and such a wonderful debut.

[this review will be up on my blog, acquadimore.wordpress.com, on March 9, 2019]

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.

As a concept, it sounded really interesting - and it was. The execution, sadly, wasn't at all.

The first half didn't deserve a low rating. 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 princess 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.

Oh, where do I even start! There is just so much about The Waking Forest to love!

The cover is fabulous. The plot is original and imaginative, balancing the contemporary alongside what feels like a truly authentic fairytale. And the writing! Just...wow!

Alyssa Wees simply blew me away with such incredibly lush, hauntingly atmospheric prose, in a beautiful story unlike anything I've ever read before. I can't wait to see what she does next!

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions are my own.**

3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed parts of this book. The writing was wonderful and the characters were unique and described well.
This book is split into 2 parts and I feel like the parts don’t go together at all. It almost felt like 2 different books to me. This was the only part that I didn’t really like.
As I was getting toward the end of the book, I was planning on giving it a lower rating. But I thought of my overall enjoyment of the book and despite feeling like 2 separate books that had nothing to do with one another, I really did like it.
I never found myself bored or not wanting to read. I got through it rather quickly and enjoyed every minute of it.
I think my favorite character was Gabrielle, although I really liked Rhea and her parents too. The darkness was so scary at first. It had my heart racing every time it was mentioned. It was such a fun addition to the first part.
Once I got to the second part, I felt like everything went really quickly and was wrapped up too fast. It all came together to make sense, but I just wish there was a little more to the ending as well as meshing the 2 parts together.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
The writing is beautiful, however it really lacks depth. By depth, I mean that the character development and world building seemed to lack and be one dimensional. It has a good plot, but could have been delved into more to make this amazing.
I do like the plot twist that happened mid way in the book, but once it occurred, I became very bored because the mystery of the book was gone.

Let me start with the cover!! I loved this cover and I requested this book just for it!
Magic and witches are my go to right now so I had to read this.
What a great bewitching tale I highly recommend.


My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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!

I'm ambivalent about The Waking Forest. There were parts of this book that I absolutely loved. The book is so descriptive in a beautiful way that reminds me a bit of Laini Taylor. I enjoyed how the first part of the book had alternating chapters between the story of Rhea and the Witch of Wishes.

However, there were parts of the book that I didn't enjoy as much. The entire family had names that started with R, and it took me a while to get to know who was who. Even after finishing the book, I'm still unsure of what personality belonged to the other. They all seemed to mash together in my mind. The second part of the book was also a little murky at times, and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first part.

If the second part of this book had been as strong as the second part, this would have been a solid four stars. The first part had mystery and creepiness to it that I enjoyed. I liked trying to figure out what was going on, and how the two interwoven stories were related. The second part was a lot weaker and had less to interest me. It had potential, but it just seemed a little less polished.