I know I am in the minority of people who really did not care for this book. The Shadows by Alex North started our eerie and atmospheric. I was excited to see where the story would lead.

However, the story failed to keep me engaged and interested for long. I didn’t find it was as creepy as I was expecting it. I didn’t connect with the characters and could really care less what happened to them.

If it weren’t for the fabulous narrations, I don’t know if I would have finished it. Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan both did fantastic with their voices, inflection, and tone. I would easily listen to something by them again.

I know I am one of the few who did not enjoy this story, so I highly recommend reading other reviews and making your mind up about it. If you do go to read it, I highly recommend the audio format.

Story 1.5 Stars
Narration 5 Stars

I received an advanced audiobook from Macmillian Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

This had all the elements of an atmospheric, chilling read: the long-ago brutal murder of a child, copycat murders in the present, spooky woods (The Shadows), and bloody hand prints left as a calling card. Unfortunately, atmosphere was missing and I didn’t find it chilling, or even interesting. I found the concept of lucid dreams where the dreamer is consciously aware of dreaming and can control others to the point where they experience the same dream far-fetched and utterly ridiculous.

The alternating time lines and large cast of characters took concentration to keep it all straight.. I was bored, struggled to focus, and had no trouble putting the book aside. It failed even as a murder mystery with repetitivenss and a dull police investigation..

I said this about the author’s previous book, The Whisper Man: “All in all, this was just an ok read. It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t the scary, gripping thriller I was expecting. I was neither creeped out nor felt chills while reading.” I felt the same about this book, but liked it even less. The story limped along to a disappointing ending. There was one major surprise but it was too little, too late and came out of nowhere.

This book wasn’t for me but I suggest looking at other reviews.

• I received an audio copy of the book via NetGalley. The narrators were very good.

Thanks Netgalley for my first ARC Audiobook


Really loved this! Alex North gives us another slow burn. Alex North writes books that are truly scary because they are soo close to reality that you could be reading about a town near by. I listened to this on audiobook and liked the narrator, the story was great and I definitely recommend if you like a good thriller that unravels slowly and keeps you guessing till the end.

As far as the content, this was not exactly what I was expecting. I definitely thought this was going to be a lot creepier since it was marketed as horror, and that I would definitely have trouble sleeping. This was creepy at times and was definitely interesting, but just not at all what I thought it was going to be. I would say this is definitely more of a mystery/thriller than it is a horror. As for the quality of the audio. I loved it. I think the narrators were great and I really appreciated that we had two of them for the two pov's. They definitely made a great listening experience. Overall, I was expecting something to keep me up at night and was a bit let down. Still a really, really good book!

I enjoyed this creepy and entertaining book. While I wasn't a big fan of Alex North's first novel I thought I would give this second novel a try and I'm glad I did. It's the story of Charlie Crabtree and his mysterious death. It goes back and forth between the past and the present. It's a story that slowly unfolds and as the reader collects clues you can piece the mystery together. I enjoyed this one and would recommend to anyone that likes a creepy read with some mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for my advanced readers Audiobook. I enjoyed the narration! All opinions are my own.

The story was interesting the coming of age different issues and different problems. How at any age one can be affected by the past. The lucid dreams aspect was interesting. I like team narrators, they were good for this book. it makes the story interesting and more real. Overall a good mystery to read.

I had held off on pre-ordering The Shadows because I assumed it would be a Book of the Month pick for July. I had gotten The Whisper Man last year through BOTM, and it was such a slow burn but so damn haunting. And after reading the synopsis of The Shadows, marketed as being similar to Stephen King's It and my favorite show, Stranger Things.

Twenty-five years ago, creepy classmate Charlie Crabtee went from threatening remarks and haunting half-smiles to committing a heinous murder. Paul Adams remembers it too well. He also remembers that as soon as he could, he left home for college and never looks back. But his mother's not well, and it's time to return home. When he meets with his mother, she almost speaks in riddles - saying someone's in the woods and something's in the house. Paul's unnerved. There have been several copycat murders, and someone seems to be trying to scare Paul away. Twenty-five years ago, Charlie disappeared after murdering a classmate. Is he behind these new murders? Is he after Paul?

I'm notorious for reading books without really knowing what they're about. I read the synopsis briefly when the news of the book was first released, but once I started reading, all I could remember were the works it was compared to. I then found myself a bit disappointed as I found very few similarities between The Shadows and It/Stranger Things. There is a group of "friends," but they're not quite the type of outcast friends within those classic 80s tales that I love so much. Instead, it's a group of outcasts that don't even fit together, and the girl of the story isn't part of the group. But that's mostly the biggest similarity there.

Instead, as I was reading I realized that the story I was reading was actually incredibly familiar to me. It reminded me a lot of the Slenderman stabbing that happened several years ago. It's a story I've read about, watched documentaries about, and even watched the horror movie version of the tale. For those unfamiliar with Slenderman, he's an internet myth that basically came to life for many believers and had folks creating incredibly harmful acts in order to earn something that wasn't real. It's pretty creepy and enthralling true crime.

Once I was about halfway through the novel, I saw an article that mentioned the book was actually inspired by the infamous Slenderman stabbing event. So, while it was exciting that the pieces fit together so well, I also felt a little let down because of how familiar I was with the true story. I realize this is likely not the case for most readers, and I think learning about the true story after reading the book will make the book even more terrifying, even more creepy. However, because of how I knew the story before reading the book, it felt kind of like watching a movie before reading the book it was based on.

I read The Shadows in both a physical format and audiobook format (thanks to Netgalley), and that was the first time I've read a book across different formats like that. It actually really made the experience super cool and further engaging. I was able to listen to the book while doing chores or cooking, and could physically read before bed or whenever I actually had time to just sit down and do nothing. I loved the audiobook version and I thought the narrators did a fantastic job bringing the story to life (yikes!). It is narrated from both the perspective of Paul and also from a detective named Amanda who is investigating the copycat murders. I was actually surprised by Amanda's chapters, because I thought the book would be from a single perspective (Paul's), but the switched perspective format was done well and actually interweaved the storyline beautifully.

Story wise, everything felt virtually impossible to predict. I had an inkling of an idea about one thing that ended up to be right, but only because I noticed one little clue (or lack thereof), but everything else took a turn I absolutely didn't expect. I never saw any of it coming, and because of that, the book felt better than I imagined. However, I didn't find this book quite as chilling as The Whisper Man. There were parts of Whisper that virtually took my breath away because I was so uncomfortably afraid. I never felt that with Shadows, but I feel I was expected to - again, it may have been the familiarity of the Slenderman. I know I keep coming back to the story that inspired the book, but it was really obvious for me and truly impacted my experience reading this novel.

"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." - The Shadows, Alex North

The Shadows was such an interesting experience for me because of my familiarity with the story that inspired the book. It impacted the way I read the book and my thoughts about it, for sure. Overall though, Shadows was a compelling, dark and twisty story. The writing was done well, much like The Whisper Man, and the twists were unforeseeable. Though a story set in realism, there are some fantastical parts to this book (though lucid dreaming is a very real thing, just maybe not in the way the characters experience it in the novel). North did a great job of interweaving the realism and the hints of fantasy to make a story that creepy and disturbing, while fully holding the reader's attention. I found The Shadows very reminiscent of C.J. Tudor's The Chalk Man, and think fans of Tudor would enjoy this book.

I've heard so much about this author and his previous book so I was pumped to be super scared and looking over my shoulder. I'm not really sure why but I just didn't like it. I felt it lacked the thrill I was expecting and I didn't connect with any of the characters. I know friends who love Alex North so I'm bummed I didn't like it.

I finished The Whisper Man a little over a week ago and was so excited to listen to this book on audio shortly after! I enjoyed the voices used for both perspectives and thought that the narration was very well done! Buuuut... I didn’t like it as much as The Whisper Man?!? I don’t know if that’s my fault as a listener, but this story did not grab me as much. I liked this one, but did not LOVE. ⠀
⠀
The story shifts between the memories of a haunting childhood and present day life of Paul Adams. And we also revisit the perspective of detective Amanda Beck (from The Whisper Man). Paul is forced to return to his hometown to visit his ailing mother. The memories that have haunted him for the last 25 years come flooding back and he’s forced to remember the details of the murder of his dear friend committed by two of his classmates. A presumed copycat killer has murdered another teen in a similar manner, and detectives hunt online to try to determine if the killer was one of the cryptic fans from the Internet forums obsessed with the former case ... or perhaps the mysteriously missing accomplice, Charlie, from the original case 25 year previous. Paul feels spooked as he feels like someone is watching him and inserts himself in the search for the truth.⠀
⠀
For me, there was too many similarities with The Whisper Man, but it just wasn’t as convincing. In fact, when I got to the end I was very underwhelmed and didn’t think the conclusion was very believable. It’s a day later and I’ve already let some of the details slip my mind. ⠀
⠀
Not my favorite, but I fully intend on reading Alex North’s future novels! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC copy in exchange for my review!

Dark, atmospheric, grisly tale of murder and a character force to confront the darkness of his past. The narrators voices seem tailored for this tale, which is told in parts in a flashback style. The narrators compliment each others style and would love to her them work together in future projects. The audiobook version of "The Shadows" is sure to delivery a creepy listen.

I loved Alex North’s The Whisper Man so I was eagerly anticipating his newest thriller.
Paul Adams returns home after many years to care for his ill mother. He is now forced to confront terrible events from his past when he was suspected in a horrific murder. Eventually, it was found out that two of his school friends were the killers. One friend was convicted and the other, Charlie Crabtree disappeared.

In a nearby community, Detective Amanda Beck is investigating the murder of a young boy that echoes the old murders. The most disturbing element of the crimes are the dozens of bloody handprints surrounding

the slain. Is this a new killer trying to mimic the old crime or is Charlie Crabtree back?

Audio books are not my preferred way to enjoy a book, but this one worked better for me than most, probably because the narration was superior. The story was enthralling and I listened to it deep into the night. North is a master storyteller able to evoke terror with the atmosphere he creates with his words. He is definitely one of the best crime writers out there and look forward to reading his novels for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced audiobook.

I really wanted to love this, and it was good, but it just wasn’t as thrilling as I wanted it to be. Maybe it’s because it took me so long to read it, but I just wasn’t as invested as I felt like I should’ve been. I’m still planning to pick up this author’s debut and see how I feel about that. I did think this was creepy and intriguing.

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

I enjoyed this book, probably until about the 80% mark. It was a slow thriller, that had a lot of buildup that I think the ending didn't quite live up to.
As far as the audio goes, I liked both narrators, but the quality was pretty low. This is the first one that I've listened to through Netgalley, so I'm sure the quality will go up as time goes on, but if you try to listen to it more than 2.0x speed it gets really choppy.

I gave it 3 stars I was a confused through most of this book.
Thank you Net Galley for the audio book

I loved this one! It was such a perfect thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the end! It was a creepy as the whisper man, but it was definitely creepy in its own way! I will definitely be reading more from this author!!

Twenty five years ago, Paul Adams' best friend was brutally killed in a strange, ritualistic murder by two of their friends. One friend confessed, but the other, Charlie Crabtree, disappeared and has never been found.

Paul returns to his childhood home when his mother's health quickly deteriorates, and strange things start happening again. The story alternates between Paul's perspective and that of a detective--Amanda--who is searching for answers to a series of eerily similar recent murders. Is it Charlie Crabtree, returning to finish what he started all those years ago? Is Paul somehow involved?

There are also flashbacks to what happened all those years ago, and we learn what really happened on the fateful day.

I really enjoyed this mystery/thriller from Alex North. It has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, and Paul is a somewhat unreliable narrator. There is also a hint of the supernatural and something ominous lurking in the woods and in your nightmares.

The narrators for the book were excellent and it was very easy to listen and follow the threads of the story. Recommended!

This is my second Alex North book and I've thoroughly enjoyed both of them. This one has a lucid dreaming component that I find fascinating, partially because I have lucid dreams often.

I thought this was a great book! I was on the edge of my seat for the second half of this book and couldn’t put it down. I loved the main characters and felt they were well developed and also very complex. The timeline in this is tricky and I grew to care more about Paul as I learned more of his story from both the past and present perspectives. His mom is a secondary character and I felt her story added a lot of depth in terms of her relationship with Paul and the sacrifices a parent makes for their children. I loved Amanda in The Whisper Man and was happy to see her appear in this story too.

It started a little slow for me because at first there seemed to be so many characters to keep track of. I listened to this audiobook so I couldn’t flip back to remind myself who was who, but I figured it out and it was fine.

Also the lucid dreaming thing was a bit odd/implausible to me. So I wasn’t sure where it was headed, but in the end it all came together and I felt like all the questions were answered.

I don’t want to give anything away but I will say that there were a few surprise twists, one of which may give me cause to re-read at least parts of this book.

I give the audio aspect of this a solid 5! There are two narrators and I think they both did an amazing job! Their dramatizations were spot on and I felt all the feels as they read this story to me. I will definitely look for other books narrated by them.

So, all in all a great book that I highly recommend to audiobook lovers and also to those that love a dark, suspenseful, creepy story. I actually liked this one a little better than The Whisper Man. Anyone else wondering what kind of hand will be on Alex North’s next cover?

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

Exciting thriller by a great author. Very enjoyable story to listen to or read. Will be highly recommended to patrons who enjoy these types of books.