Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Alex North does it again, blending his worlds together without the reading even realizing, it’s truly a marvel. The Shadows is no doubt going to go down as one of the top horror novels of 2020.

This copy was kindly given to me by Netgalley and its publisher for review; all opinions are completely my own.

You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile--always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet--and inspired more than one copycat.
But It wasn't just the murder.
It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again.

Edge of your seat, spooky and dark, this book blew me away. Rarely, and I mean extremely rarely, does a murder thriller have plot twists or revelations that catches me by surprise. this book seemed to did it at every turn. Subtly, the author leads us down one path, allowing us to believe parts of the plot without ever actually confirming these assumption we make and artfully rips the rug right out from under your feet. It’s makes you pause and realize that the North never spelled out what he makes you believe. Dark, the murders are violent and brutal with the thrill of a slender man type villian. There is a sense of foreboding that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story, At one point I had to set it down and breathe I was so freaked. The sense of something waiting in the darkness chased all point of views, even as chapters moved back and forth through time and POV. I cant rave enough about how much this book caught me by surprise and I loved every scary moment of it.
I can not wait to pick up more of Alex North’s books.

I enjoyed the author's debut, The Whisper Man, so I had high hopes for this one. However, it fell flat for me.

In general, I love stories with dual timelines. But, in this case, it was challenging. For one thing, there were too many characters, and it was hard to keep everything straight without making notes along the way. It was just confusing and never really came together for me in the end. Some of the "big reveals" weren't a surprise, and the ending was a bit lackluster. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this one as I'd anticipated.

don’t make the same mistake I did and read this right before bed...

the shadows (horror/thriller): ★★★★

I’ve been meaning to read this one since it came out last month and finally got around to it! I think this one is a little bit more horror than thriller, so not my every day read, but I still very much enjoyed it.

A murder committed 25 years ago still haunts Paul to this day, and continues to inspire copycat killings. After graduating high school, Paul moved on and never looked back at the town that held such painful memories. 25 years later, he returns to spend some final days with his mom. But things start getting weird right around the time a detective shows up investigating a recent copycat murder. Paul’s past is coming back to haunt him and he must find the answers to what really happened.

The plot twists kept me on my toes & I was genuinely satisfied by the ending of this one. A great scary read!

thanks to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first book by Alex North. I loved how it blurs the line between thriller/horror. It was extremely creepy and the pacing was great. The lucid dreaming aspect was super interesting. I liked how many characters there were. I wasn't quite as satisfied with the climax but overall I enjoyed the book. I will look for more books from North and I look forward to reading The Whisper Man.

The shadows offers a dark read that is just as intense as it is enjoyable. Past horrors seem to sneak back into Paul's life when he goes to visit his dying mother in hospice. He's avoided being home since he left for college. To escape the town, its horrors, its people, but the town isn't done with him yet. History seems to have repeated itself in other nearby towns and a certain horror maybe creeping in.

Loved the suspense and mystery of this book. The tone created such a misty atmosphere that I couldn't put it down!

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I recently read North's other story The Whisper Man and absolutely loved it. When I heard he was releasing another book I had to read it! The last book by him was similar to a ghost story and while this one strayed more toward supernatural I was happy to know there was still a ghostly element with it.

I did sometimes get a little confused with the time periods and the cases (past case present case) but eventually I kind of got the hang of it lol.

Overall a solid little mystery. I'll definitely still be keeping an eye out for more works by North 👌

** spoiler alert ** I give this book a smidge under four stars. I liked this one better than The Whisper Man...I got whacked upside the head by one of the twists. But I still didn't love the ending. The story had such great ideas just like the WM, and, as with WM, I felt like it kind of copped out.

There was so much potential with all of the creepy great ideas in this book. And maybe that was the problem for me. There were a bunch of legitimate, creepy directions it could have gone in. And while the "most obvious" path wasn't taken, I honestly feel like the story would have been better if we had followed down one of those paths more. Such good material was tossed in there but then abandoned or brushed off. Like much of Amanda's part in the story.

I'm also not sure why Amanda was brought into this one. I would have liked much more of an intertwined story for her character to come back, because I do think she has so much story left to tell. But frankly, this one had nothing to do with her and she almost proved to be a distraction.

I appreciated the other theme in this book, just like WM...it was almost as much about family relationships as it was about the mystery. But I like a dark and creepy thriller...and this had the potential, man so much potential, but just seemed to be unsure of which theme was central and so it felt, well, distracted.

I know that sounds like a lot of negative. I did enjoy the story. I didn't see the main twist coming, I actually gasped out loud. The secondary twist was also a surprise, but I was kind of sad that that was how it was going to end.

I enjoyed the premise of this novel, many unsolved murders with undertones of the supernatural at play. I felt it was a little drawn out...or that it could have included a little more backstory. Overall I would recommend, but it wasn’t as good as his debut. Still looking forward to others he may write!

Okay so let me start with this was one of my most anticipated books of the year so I'm as disappointed with this review as everyone else is. I was into the start of this book and thought its was going to be amazing however that's not where this went. I actually read the first 50% of the book and skimmed until about 70% and that when I realized I wasn't enjoying this book. It felt very slow and way too unbelievable for me (since this is a thriller and not horror or fantasy) with the dream aspects. I kept mixing up all the boys because well I didn't find any of them well enough developed to actually distinguish them. And I really didn't feel any connection to this book to make me care. There where a few cool scenes I liked like the ill mother who kept taps all these years, hand prints, and the idea of copy cat murders but thats where it ended for me.

Wow! I thought I had this book figured out, but there was a twist that I never saw coming! Kept me glued to my seat for the entire book!

Bravo! Alex North has created a twisty, turning psychological, paranormal, absolutely wild ride of a novel. The tale itself is quietly told but edge of the seat unpredictable. I am impressed.

Once I started reding The Shadows by Alex NorthI found it impossible to put down. The plot is complicated and tells the. story of sevral boys who were involced in frightening drems which almost came true..
I suggest that everyone read this book and I hope tha tyu allenjoy it as much as I did.

While The Shadows succeeds at being a creepy and eerie, I found myself wanting more. I loved The Whisper Man, and this one fell a bit flat in comparison. Some plot points felt like they were inserted for "shock" value only to be abandoned or tidied up nicely. The twists didn't surprise me, and while the plot was interesting I didn't find myself on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen. I like how he ties in elements that feel supernatural, and I would have loved to see more of that in The Shadows.

A Juicy Premise that left a little to Be Desired!

The Present: Here we return to Featherbank with Detective Amanda Beck who you may remember from “The Whisper Man.”

The Scene: The Murder of Michael Price by Elliot Hick and Robbie Foster and red hand prints, lots of them. The Investigation appears to be a copycat killing.

It leads Amanda to Gritten, home of Paul Adams, who has returned to Gritten to be with his mother who has Dementia.

The Past: 25 years ago the first murder took place, involving Pau Adam’s friends and a murder scene: Red Hand prints lots of red hand prints. At the time, the murderer, Charlie Crabtree got away, disappearing without a trace. Paul’s mother is insistent that he investigate on his own, that there is something in their house - which leads to dreams, which lead to questions, all of which haunt Paul and terrify him more than he’d like to admit. They are in fact the reason he has stayed away from Gritten for as long as he could remember.

Gritten Woods is gloomy and atmospheric. It’s dark and foreboding and yet, never once was I scared holding my breath, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

In my opinion,“The Shadows” held such promise and yet somehow, it simply didn’t quite deliver. I was left wanting and waiting. Much of the time, while reading and listening to this, I was bored waiting for the plot to pick up the pace and give me something meaty to bite into like Alex North’s “The Whisper Man” which I absolutely loved. I am however only one reviewer thus I highly suggest reading other reviews as this may be the case of my being the wrong reader for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, MacMillan Audio and Alex North for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 8.5.20.
Excerpt to be published on Insta.

Alex North's second novel The Shadows was fantastic! I really enjoyed The Whisper Man and wondered if Alex North would suffer the sophomore slump. But I can confidently say The Shadows defies the sophomore slump and this book is a must-read thriller for 2020!

Paul Adams didn’t think he would return to his hometown until the day his mother’s caregiver called. His mother’s health had been failing but a bad fall has sent her into a hospice. The reason Paul hasn’t been back was in a effort to forget the tragic event that he was involved in as a teenager.
Not a popular kid Paul had one good friend in school. James and Paul spent time together before and after school. Enter Charlie Crabtree and his constant companion Billy. Charlie’s mean streak and confidence just oozed out of him. Sensing James timidity Charlie approached hoping to entice him into his fold. James desperate to be wanted quickly fell under Charlie’s influence. Paul went along with the small group for a short spell hoping to draw James away from Charlie and his fixation on dreams. When that didn’t happen Paul broke away from the group. Not long after that Charlie Crabtree commits murder and then vanishes forever.
Twenty-five years later a copycat murder has been committed. Detective Amanda Beck has started to investigate which leads her to the town of Gritten. Haunted by the many ghosts of the past Paul is looking for answers too.
I liked THE SHADOWS but I think I liked THE WHISPER MAN a bit more.
THE SHADOWS was dark. The twist in the story was interesting taking the reader in a different direction. After finishing THE SHADOWS I still finding myself thinking about it. It was an intriguing story making it a good summer read.
Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing the advanced ebook for my feedback.
#The Shadows
#NetGalley

What I love the most about Alex North’s writing is that he makes you feel like you are there in the story with the characters experiencing everything they are feeling and seeing. He has a way of bringing creepy, ghost story vibes straight into his writing which makes if feel like you are listening to a true horror story at night next to your growing fire.

I was a huge fan of his first novel, The Whisper Man, mainly for its atmospheric feel and that it had me hooked from page one. The Shadows has a similar feel, and some familiar characters. While you don’t need to read The Whisper Man to enjoy this novel, I found that it was heart warming and exciting to see Detective Amanda Beck again and really put that extra layer into the story.

If you’re looking for a book that will give you chills and keep you reading late into the night, then look no further than Alex North. He is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine, and I hope to see him expand even more into the characters he’s created as he left the ending open enough for just that.

On another note, I listened via audiobook as well as read a physical copy and both were extremely enjoyable. Personally, I enjoyed the physical reading experience better. However I really enjoyed both narrators chosen in the audiobook.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3253150595

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Shadows by Alex North. If you liked the Whisper Man, you will like The Shadows.
North takes the reader to dark places in his new novel.
Paul Adams is returning home - he hasn't been home in over 25 years - his mother is dying. Paul has dark memories of his hometown, and has no desire to think about them. When Paul was a teenager a horrible crime was committed. Paul and his three friends shared secret dream diaries - dreams that are vivid and seem real. Charlie Crabtree was the leader of the group and he groomed and led them to dream together - lucid dreams - dreams they would all share - scary dreams - dreams of death and murder. And Paul remembers the day that those dreams were made real. But Charlie disappeared into thin air 25 years ago, but the memories still haunt Paul, and his mother.
When Paul realizes that the past is coming at him full force, he knows that there are only certain people who know what happened 25 years ago. And those people are not around, or are they, and the dreams are back and they are vivid and start to seem real. As the body count goes up, Paul knows that he must face the past so he can live or die.
3.5 stars.