Definitely more of a thriller than a horror book…

LIKES:
1) I had no idea what was happening and I loved that. I was guessing all along!
2) it was creepy but not scary. I live in a rural wooded area by a lake so it could have been terrifying but I just really wanted to know what happened!
3) strong female characters and multiple POVs
4) detective stories really do make great thrillers! They make you the “Miss Marple” of the story and I enjoy that!

DISLIKES:
1) still kind of confused as you what happened to one of the kids, but for the most part everything is revealed at the end. I’m sure that was too, I think I just missed it.

I received this ARC in return for a review.
This book scared me throughout.
I did not want to read in the dark.

The Shadows was unfortunately not my favorite thriller. The narrating was very good, however the story seemed to drag on and on. There was a lot of unnecessary scenes and I believe the book could have been half its length.

Cabin/Winter Reading

This year I have been doing a bit of reading outside by the fire and listening while walking in the wooded areas around our cabin in the woods. I seemed to be attracted to stories with settings in cabins surrounded by wooded areas. The Shadows was a perfect one to read that gave me an uneasy feeling, and I was looking over my shoulder to see if Charlie Crabtree might be hiding in my woods.

What is going on between the covers

Alex North takes that mean girl trope and turns it into mean boys. The ring leader of this unusual group is pervasive charming Charlie Crabtree. Charlie uses lucid dreaming to persuade the boys to do mean things. 14-year-old Paul and his best friend James fall into this nasty group until some end up dead, and Charlie is never seen again. Things get complicated, and I have no idea how to add anything more.

My two cents

I had the audio copy through NG and started it a while back. The story felt too complicated for me to listen to, and I struggled to follow what was happening. I put it on pause, and I bought a copy when the mass paperback came out. I listened and read parts of the story. I enjoyed listening to the narrators, which enhanced the story while reading it.

The premise is intriguing, with something a little different that kept me interested. While not really what I would call a spine-chilling horror, it does have some chill to it that had me snuggling up to the fire while turning the pages as fast as I could or walking more quickly through the woods. There are some good turns to the story and a surprising reveal I didn’t see; however, something felt off, didn’t add up, and I didn’t get that rewarding payoff I like in the end.

I recommend listening to this one over reading it or both somewhere and where and when you can focus on the narrators.

This one gave me serious creepy vibes. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t usually find books as scary/creepy on audio but this was a definite exception. Thought the narrator did a great job of creating atmosphere.

Dark and creepy just how I like it! This psychological thriller had me questioning everything. Loved it! I will read anything Alex North writes. Please give me more!

I loved this book. It was dark and creepy in the best ways. I ended up reading Alex North's previous book as a result and cannot wait for their next work.

This book is a creepy and dark story; the plot and the characters will keep you reading way into the night. You will not want to stop reading until you get to the conclusion of the story. The reader was good, there was just enough creepy atmosphere coming through to work for this book.

Overall, I really liked this story! It's intricate, it's detailed, it's thoughtful. It's a story that deals with grief and confronting and coming to grips with the past. All wrapped up in a dual timeline, small town thriller about lucid dreams ending in murder. I loved that it vibed like a supernatural thriller. And it was 100% creepy and chilling! I was definitely freaked out at times. All the twists and turns and shocks in the first half had me on the edge of my seat completely pulled into the mystery, but the over plot twist and whodunnit at the end sort of fell a little flat for me. But overall a great read, especially if you're into urban legends and dreams.

I finally was able to read/listen to this book. It was good mostly Eh for me. But I did like it better than The Whisper Man. I do like reading Alex North and I will continue to read his books.

I liked the concept of lucid dreaming. I think there could have been so much more done with this book.

This one was kind of middle of the road for me. I didn't dislike it, but I also think a month from now, I won't remember much about it. I did find it intriguing at the beginning learning about Paul and his friends as kids, but then too many characters and such started to make things confusing and not as enjoyeable of a read. I did like the narrator for this story.

I had high hopes going into this one, but overall I think it's just not for me! It's got an interesting premise, but I found myself generally uninterested throughout most of the book. Even though the book starts off with a lot of secrets and intrigue, it still felt slow. It took forever to really get into the meat of the story, and I found myself losing interest quite often, unfortunately! I'm used to thrillers keeping me on the edge of my seat, and when one is unable to, I'm just not really a fan.

I did like the audiobook narrators, though, and I appreciated that each character POV got their own narrator. It separated the two POVs sharply, and made each section feel tonally different as well. Paul's narrator seemed to fit the vibe of Paul perfectly, and it really added to the atmosphere of the book, even if it wasn't quite enough to sell me on the story as a whole. Amanda's took me longer to like, but I also think it took me longer to connect with Amanda overall, especially as a large part of the book/intro was focused on Paul and his backstory.

Overall, I'm not sure if I'll try another book by this author, but I do think many will still enjoy this book!

The alternating time lines and large cast of characters took concentration to keep it all straight. 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 I was waiting for the plot to pick up the pace and give me something meaty to bite into. At the end the author provided us with a delicious twist that I didn't see it coming and it was great! It was unexpected and heartbreaking all at once

Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Another incredibly creepy book by Alex Noth. This book was extremely difficult for me to put down! I thought I knew what was going on, but the twists and turns kept me guessing the whole time. A must read!

This book was super creepy, with a great atmosphere. The talk of the woods and the shadows was my favourite part. I really enjoyed the plot twist at the end. But the overall ending fell flat for me.

This was not my favorite novel by Alex North, and I found it incredibly difficult to stay engaged with the story.

The overall narration was fine, and I appreciated the opportunity to listen in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of the best narrations I have listened to in a long time. I was sucked in from the first sentence and even though much of the story was confusing, I enjoyed listening to the end.

Paul was a teen when something horrible happened and he leaves his village as soon as he turned 18 and did not go back until his mother needed him.

Amanda is a detective who is investigating the copycat murders that happen as soon as Paul comes back home.

This story has 2 timelines and about a million people in it and I am not gonna lie that I got lost a lot. I refuse to take notes when listening to a book so I have to go by memory and mine is bad.

I thought the lucid dreaming bits were done well, but the ending was a little bit rushed and wrapped up too nicely.

This had an interesting premise and I wanted to love it cause it’s right up my alley but it was just ok. It felt like it took forever to get into. I listened to the audiobook and for me, the narrators weren’t the greatest. There were really good creepy moments but it mainly fell flat for me.

The side characters really made this story though! I loved Jenny and her obsession with Stephen king! And Charlie was super creepy!! This book definitely had promise and I would be interested in reading future books by this author to see how his talent develops.

Thank you to Netgalley, Alex north, and Macmillan audio for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This audiobook was creepy af. Which is the intent. The narration of this story was amazing. I was hooked for the first chapter and I hated when I had to turn it off and go to work, because I listened on my commute. The characters were great and I am excited to read more from this author.

Loved the premise of the book, but I wanted it to creep me out as much as Whisper Man had and, unfortunately, it fell short in that department.