After reading the synopsis I was expecting this book to be a bit more creepy than it actually was. Although the narration was very good I did feel it dragged a little towards the middle. Not as good as Whisper Man but entertaining all the same.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for advance copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.

“Red hands, red hands, red hands everywhere –“

What It’s About: When Paul Adams receives a call from his mother’s care worker about her fall, he finally returns to his childhood home at Gritten, a place he desperately wants to forget. Twenty-five years ago, two of his best friends – Charlie Crabtree and Billy Roberts – committed a heinous ritualistic killing and Charlie disappeared into the darkness without a trace.

This murder has inspired a string of copycat murders – or could it be Charlie’s work? Paul now must confront his past when he finds out that Detective Beck is investigating a recent copycat murder at Featherbank; and things take a turn for the worse when his mother who has dementia seems to know more about Charlie.

My thoughts: This is one intriguing mystery/horror which I ended up enjoying despite the mixed reviews. This is not a breakneck pace story but a slow-burn, haunting, melancholy story which I think add so much suspense to the story build-up. In the end, everything works well together, and it did not disappoint.

It was interesting that the killings here is inspired by a true crime case (murderinos will know which case I’m talking about). I liked how North delves into the psychological element of these boys, where the shared lucid dreams are an integral part of their friendship. So most probably this is why the story feels slow overall.

Charlie is not a likeable character. He is manipulative and sinister. I think North’s writing captured the essence of his character well. I was so creeped out by Charlie.

Once again, parent-child relationship is part of the theme in this story. It is endearing and I like Daphne Adams.

I liked how we see familiar place (Featherbank) and character in this story. But I do wish that Detective Amanda Beck plays a bigger role here.

In a nutshell, The Shadows is one enjoyable read. It is different from the fast-paced The Whisper Man. I think that there is more depth as far as characters go in The Shadows. North weaves an intricate tale with twists and turns that makes this one creepy thriller/horror.

*** Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review. ***

DNF at 81% /:
was just not catching my attention at all and even being this far into the book, I don't really feel pressed to finish. had some really good creepy parts but it just didn't hook me!

I don't know if it was me or the Netgalley shelf app, but this was confusing and difficult to listen to. Audio ARCs are new to NG (and this is my first time listening to one) so they'll obviously have kinks to work out over time, but this was almost unlistenable. The narrators do a good job with the performances, and unlike most audiobooks with a past/present timeline, I was able to easily differentiate between which was which without having to keep skipping around. But the audiobook did the skipping around for me. Any time that I would close the app or even pause the chapter it would either skip to a previous location that I'd already read or skip to the beginning of the chapter. There were portions of this audiobook that I listened to 3 to 4 times because either I paused it and it skipped me back an entire chapter or because I closed the app and the book would reset me at the beginning and I had to try and remember off the top off my head where I was at. I did just download an update to the app, so hopefully that will fix most of the major problems with it.

Anyway, this is a review of the book, not Netgalley. But the experience of listening to this book and the actual story are intertwined because I have no idea what actually happened. I should probably go to the effort of rereading this but I don't want to. I couldn't tell you what or even if there was a single twist in this book. It was very forgettable and I felt like I was missing out on part of the story because The Whisper Man is mentioned a few times (I believe the detective is a crossover character) and I didn't know what any of them were talking about. I understand the want not to market this as a series or a sequel to TWM, but maybe they should have?

Very Very CREEPY and ATMOSPHERIC!!!

And I must say, I am definitely picking up more books by the author soon! I was however pretty agitated by the anti-climax because there were a whole lot of loose ends and I was hoping for a strong and unpredictable ENDING for such a brilliant story with a perfect narration.

but, yes I'd definitely recommend this one if you are in the lookout for a dark eerie thriller with a hint of paranormal elements at play!

The Whisper Man was a great character study as well as a mystery. His follow up work entitled “ The Shadows” is noticeably different. The writing is excellent but the pacing made me stop listening more than once. The book begins 25 years ago when the protagonist, Paul Adams,was a teenager. A murder the police blame Initially blame on Paul—-Later the police realize it is not Paul but another teenager who commited the murder. Crabtree the town bully and creep. And Charlie Crabtree has disappeared, never to be seen again. In the present day, Paul returns to his hometown to visit his dying mother. He teaches writing and the...copycat murders! Is Charlie Crabtree back? Delusional ramblings from his ill mother that lead Paul to believe that she knows something about the murders of the past. There is something in the house. But what? Slowly bits of information about the past are revealed. The plot thickens, there are some surprises, secrets are revealed and the...but that would be telling.
A solid book that makes me look forward to North’s next work. Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Audio Copy.

This novel reminded me of a scary ghost story someone told around the campfire. You know the ones, "Yeah my friend knew this guy that this is about..." kind of story. It is creepy and will keep you guessing right up until the end when your mind is blown. Paul has many regrets about going home, and the murder of his friend is just one of those regrets. This book has it all, copycat killing, a creepy vibe throughout the whole thing, and a wonderful jump back in time to get the whole story. I loved it. I am not sure if I loved it as much as The Whisper Man, but it is 3.5 stars rounded to 4 because I devoured it in a day!

“Perhaps life was just a matter of doing what you thought was best at the time and then living with the consequences as best you could afterward.”

This was my first book by Alex North, but it certainly won't be my last. I had heard slightly mixed things about this book, so went in with tempered expectations- but I ended up pleasantly surprised!

The Shadows was dark, atmospheric and creepy. It gave serious slenderman vibes, while also incorporating the really interesting element of lucid dreaming. I adored the atmosphere and found myself thoroughly unnerved at some parts. I simultaneously wanted to try out some of the tricks mentioned to elicit lucid dreams and never wanted to go to sleep again lest I meet 'red hands' in my dreams.

The book is told in dual POVs with flashbacks. I found myself much almost exclusively interested in Paul's perspective, and in particular the sections told in the past. For that reason, my interest began to wane whenever we switched to present day, or to our second POV- Detective Amanda Beck.

A few plot twists took my by surprise, and I liked the way they were done. However, the ending was a bit disappointing to me. It could be a side effect of listening to the audiobook and thus being unable to easily reread a page to wrap my mind around things- but I was confused. I can't completely put my finger on what it was, but the ending just didn't deliver on what the creepy atmosphere was promising in the lead up. I finished the book feeling confused and slightly let down. It had such an engaging premise and build up, but the ending was a bit lacklustre.

That being said, I would still recommend this book particularly in the lead up to October. It was a well crafted story with some thrilling and creepy elements, unexpected plot twists and vivid atmosphere. I am now even more interested in this author's debut the whisper man, and cannot wait to see what he does next.

★★★☆☆.5 stars

Overall, this book was not as creepy as I was expecting from the synopsis and cover. It did have compelling elements that lead to a surprise ending. However the story itself with the dual narration and skipping back and forth in time was not my favorite. It was more like two different stories being told parallel when they should have felt more entwined. I wished I had felt more of a connection between Amanda and Paul, that probably would have made a difference for me.

The narrators did a good job with this one. They added a spooky and suspenseful feel to it that was very entertaining. They definitely enhanced the story for me.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio for my copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Alex North has a unique writing style that draws you in to his creepy thrillers. I enjoyed the storyline and characters. The narrators chosen for the parts allowed for a smooth easy listening experience. Not as creepy as expected when you read the synopsis but good read overall.



I just reviewed The Shadows by Alex North. #TheShadows #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio

Sorry. This one just fell flat for me. I wanted to love it. Whisper man was such a great book. I have to give my honest opinion. I hope he finds his mojo and produces another bestseller.

I wanted to love this one, you guys...I really, really did. The Whisper Man was one of my very favorite thrillers last year, so my hopes were quite high for The Shadows. Unfortunately, it was a miss for me. Yes, it was just as creepy, freaky, and disturbing as The Whisper Man, but it just didn’t hook me. I kept waiting for the moment, but it just didn’t come. It felt like something was missing. Plus, the ending was all over the place and it didn’t satisfy me at all. However, I did enjoy learning more about lucid dreaming and dream diaries, so that aspect was very intriguing.

The book's cover itself is so ghostly and exciting to pick up the book. I loved listening to the audiobook - it was spooky, entertaining and at the same time, a good story. The thrilling vibe is pretty good in the narration, and I would recommend the book right away.

I definitely recommend the audiobook.
This was so much better than The Whisper Man, in my opinion. I really liked the main characters and it was more fast-paced. Maybe part of why I liked it more was because I listened to the audiobook so it seemed to go by quicker. But I definitely liked the story and the way it was told better too. Based on other reviews, if you loved The Whisper Man, you might not like this. But if you were underwhelmed by it, I recommend you give this a try.

AUDIO BOOK DID NOT DOWNLOAD
Due to issues with the new Netgalley shelf app the book did not download to my phone and has now been archived so I am unable to review the book.

This is my second Alex North book and it was definitely on par with The Whisper Man, though I liked this story a bit more. The mystery aspect had more a paranormal twist to it in this book, though the story is in truth not paranormal at all. I loved this book in audio format because for one, it keeps me from zooming ahead and missing details (and spoiling things for myself). The narrator does a fine job of bringing the story to life and really getting you immersed in things.

Like The Whisper Man, this book centers around children and then those children when they’ve become adults and have to face the disturbing moments of their childhoods. Paul Ryan returns to his childhood home only when his mother takes a bad fall and it becomes clear that she will soon pass away. For decades he has avoided his hometown, never visiting, and avoiding all thought of it when possible because one of his friends was murdered and the boy who did it disappeared. Now it appears that there are copycat murderers who believe in this urban legend called Red Hands – the very same story that Charlie Crabtree told to Paul and his friends when they were all children. Red Hands is purported to basically disappear you into a dream world, but only after you sacrifice (murder) someone. There was this whole thing about lucid dreaming, evil, manipulative kids, and it was in general a bad time.

This was an extremely interesting book that was surprisingly thought provoking for a mystery. I found myself both disliking and feeling sorry for the kids (Paul included) because they all clearly had flawed home lives. In Charlie’s case, he turned into a bit of a psychopath, in another boy’s case, his desire to fit in and belong made him a target. And Paul… he had the most sense out all those kids but the murder left lifelong mental scars on him. So much so, that he disconnected from his family and moved away as soon as he was able.

The Shadows had some interesting twists and it was engaging for the length of the story. It really made you feel for the characters and I liked the split timelines. The way it was set up actually flowed really well, which can be a difficult thing to accomplish with split timelines. Overall, I’d totally recommend this to mystery fans and hope to keep seeing exciting new stories and ever improving quality from Alex North

I enjoyed this atmospheric thriller...though it was more mystery than thriller. The past and how you can’t escape it & how it influences the future is really at the heart of this story. You find out how choices and decisions made 25 years ago reach forward to perpetuate the horror. There were a few “ah-ha” moments as the narrative progressed and I definitely needed to keep reading to see how it would turn out...but it wasn’t as creepy or edge-of-your sear as I’d hoped.

3.5 stars! This book was well narrated and definitely had great vibes going into spooky season. I think in some ways it does have a second book slump feel with being a bit difficult to follow especially in audiobook form but I’d definitely recommend to people who like horror and suspense!

Fantastic novel read by a couple of amazing people. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the novel and could not wait to see how the story ended.

When I saw that an Alex North book was on NetGalley I was super excited. I loved his other novel The Whisper Man (which I also listened to). This book was lacking all the things that I loved about the other book. I hate comparing authors works but I had such a hard time getting through this one. I did like the people reading the book, that was probably the only positive thing about this audio. I would not recommend this to anyone. Thanks for letting me review this audiobook.