This was an intriguing read. I loved The Whisper Man, so The Shadows had a lot to live up to, but it proved that North is excellent at the last minute twists!

The Shadows follows other atmospheric mysteries that weave in local legends and folklore similar to the Slender Man, leaving you guessing until the end whether the murder really was perpetrated by a supernatural being.
I enjoyed this read, made scarier by being alone while house sitting, and will probably check out more of Alex North's work when I want a fun and thrilling read.

The Shadows takes place in a small village in England. It is told in present day and in the past. When Paul was a teenager, he and his friends would lucid dream together. His friends take it too far and end up killing a person. Paul comes back to his village 25 years later since his mom is in hospice. While back some eerie things happen. Also, another group of teens copy the murder and Amanda, a detective steps in and starts investigate and investigates the mysteries of 25 years ago.
The Shadows was definitely a dark book. I really enjoyed the characters and trying to unravel the mystery. I do find the going from before to present to be confusing at times. Also, I found the ending to be a little anti-climatic.

Thank you so much @CeladonBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC & ALC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 07 July 2020)

SYNOPSIS | Paul was hoping that he would never have to return to the town he grew up in as 25 years ago two of his friends were the instigators in a brutal murder and while one of them was sentenced, one of them was never seen again. When he hears that his mother is senile & is taking a turn for the worst, he decides it is time to return, however his mother is claiming that there is something inside the house.

WHAT I LIKED:
- similar atmospheric, creepy & eerie vibe as The Whisper Man
- alternating timeline
- there was a couple of excellent mini twists
- the whole "is it paranormal is it not" vibe

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I wasn't invested in the police procedural aspect of the story
- I wanted more creepy lucid dreaming
- slow pacing

I loved the Whisper Man, so I was very exited about The Shadows. I was disappointed. I found it very confusing and quit frankly, I'm still not sure what happened at the end. It was scary and kept my attention to a certain point. North is a very good writer, it just didn't live up to my expectations. I wanted to like it, but I got a little lost and had a hard time finding my way back or even caring. I will give Alex North another shot though, I'm not giving up on this author.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love a creepy and atmospheric read and The Shadows had all of the elements to be a win for me. Dual timelines, a creepy childhood legend (similar to Slenderman), but I have mixed opinions about this one.

What I loved:
- North's writing style- his writing is smooth and he's great at description without overdrawing things outThe cover. Whoever is doing the cover art for North's books is knocking it out of the park!
- The unsettling small town atmosphere
- The call back to The Whisper Man!

What I struggled with:
- The large amount of characters, some with a very small role
- The fantastical elements in a book otherwise rooted in reality
- The final reveal and addition of new characters at the end made it a bit of a jumble to me

I know many loved it and I look forward to reading more of North's work.

Recommend for readers who like a slower-paced mystery and are ok with a step outside of reality.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon for the arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy The Shadows as much as I did The Whisper Man. I found the story line to be confusing at times and the number of different characters did not help that either. However, I will say that the concept of lucid dreams was alluring.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Shadows.

There’s not a lot I can say about The Shadows because I don’t want to give anything away. I went into thinking I knew what happened, only to find I knew nothing. Well written, with chapters alternating between the past and present, we slowly find out the truth to what happened and why Paul left his hometown 25 years ago and never returned.

There were some definitely spooky scary parts that made the random sounds my house makes even more terrifying and at one pivotal moment I thought “I’ve got to get out of here.” I definitely recommend this if you enjoy a good spooky mystery!

Alex North's new book is FANTASTIC!!! It grabs the reader from page one and doesn't let go until the end! It's a great mystery and psychological thriller. His books remind me of Stephen King's earlier books...a read all night and keep the lights on!

I haven't read The Whisper Man yet, but I loved this book.

The two timelines, separated by 25 years, add details to the present events. I was confused a couple of times while reading the book, but when the realization came, it felt like a shock. I really like my thriller with a bit of paranormal (Stephen King IS my favorite writer, after all), and this one fits the profile.

Many thanks to Celadon Books for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sadly this plot failed to capture my attention the way North’s Whisper Man did. He definitely gets points for atmosphere: both the setting and characters conveyed an abundance of foreboding and creepiness. The whole supernatural, entering one’s dreams was too over the top for me and did not hold my interest. I felt that there was just too much going on and it took away from my my overall enjoyment. My the time the twists came, I was already uninvested. I hoping North’s next book is more like his first.

This thriller was fast paced - Alex North Is a good story teller. Although it was not my favorite book - it was a decent read.

3.5! I felt this book was a little slower moving than I hoped, up until the last fourth. Because it felt slower it took me longer to finish, and because of that I felt like I was getting the varying timelines and points of view confused. I really enjoyed the final fourth- it all tied together really nicely and there was closure past the point of “who did it” which you sometimes don’t get from a thriller!

Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Paul Adams has been haunted by the events of his childhood for his entire life. When he was a teenager, his friends horrifically murdered of one of their fellow classmates and Paul was brought in on suspicion. Although he had nothing to do with it, he can't shake the guilt he feels for not warning someone about the disturbing actions of his friends leading up to the murder. If he had only told someone about Charlie Crabtree and the lucid dreaming. . .

Twenty-five years later, Paul returns to his hometown to say goodbye to his mother before she dies. It's far from a pleasant homecoming however, especially when someone starts tormenting him with the ghosts of his past. Then news of a copycat killer reaches Paul and he can't help but wonder if what's happening to him is connected. After all, they never found one of the killers. They never found Charlie Crabtree.

Alex North has upped his game! Honestly, I think The Shadows might be even better than The Whisper Man. With a series of terrifying twists and turns, The Shadows keeps your eyes reading and your heart pounding.

After reading "The Whisper Man", I was anxious to read the new book by Alex North and I was not disappointed. I loved the twists and turns, especially the ones I didn't see coming.

I don't know why I torture myself with Alex North's horror novels but I do and I LOVE them even if I am terrified for a week after finishing the book! I loved his debut The Whisper Man, and this one was just as good with an unexpected ending.

25 years ago, teenagers Charlie Crabtree and his friend Billy committed a murder, thinking it was part of a ritual for a man named Red Hands that they had envisioned through lucid dreaming. Billy was apprehended by the police and imprisoned but Charlie just vanished. Paul Adams was friends with both the victim and the murderers at one point, but after he left for college, he never came back to his hometown of Gritten. Now, he's forced to return as his mother is dying. 

Knowing the horrific memories this town holds, Paul is on edge, both by his mother's ailing health and the fact that Charlie was never found. When strange things start happening at his mother's home and the realization that there's been copycat killings, Paul isn't sure what to believe. It becomes obvious his mom was hiding something when Charlie starts digging through the attic, but with his mom's dementia it's difficult to talk to her.

Detective Amanda Beck starts digging into the 25 year old murder committed by Charlie when another victim is murdered in the same way in her town of Featherbank. Amanda has the "who" , the two teens who killed their classmate, but not the "why." And that might lie within the town of Gritten, Paul Adams, and Charlie Crabtree. 

This was definitely creepy, gruesome, and shocking. It has a seemingly paranormal feel with the lucid dreaming aspect, but with just a hint to keep it more realistic. 

Thank you Celadon Books and Netgalley for my copy.

My low rating is due to "it's not you, it's me". I can see why many people love this book, but the twists and the ultimate direction of the plot were just not to my liking.

enjoyed Alex North's first novel, The Whisper Man, immensely. Great characters, a complex plot that left you guessing until the end, evocative writing and truly suspenseful. I hoped for more from The Shadows, which I read courtesy of NetGalley and Caledon Books. Perhaps my expectations were too high, as I was left disappointed by the time I finished the book. It lacked the impact and chills of the first.

Twenty-five years ago, a small town was haunted by a murder so awful that the town never recovered. Paul Adams, who has returned to the town to care for his seriously ill mother, and was the victim's and murderer's friend, becomes caught up in a copycat murderer. Paul's painful memories of the brutal murder are reawoken by the new murder. Even more so when his mother insists there's something in the house. Something evil. The plot is great, but something was missing for me, perhaps passion, perhaps a sense of discovery. Would I recommend it to a friend? Probably, but with some serious hesitation. I had hoped for something better.

Great read. Kept you wanting to turn the page. Alex did a great job telling the story from the past in the present.
#theshadows #netgalley #indigoemoloyee