I loved this book. Anything creepy and with kids is even better. There were some really good exciting twists that were not typical and I did not see coming. I also really enjoyed the narrators

I enjoyed Alex North's previous book "The Whisperer" so much which made me ask for an advance copy of this book as soon as I saw it. And Im glad I did!!!!! This book was so suspenseful and I loved the spin on the dream element. The meaning of dreams have always been so fascinating and this book takes it to another level. Cant wait to read more!

Actual rating 2.5 stars.

I received an audio ARC of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Paul Adams had left Gritton 25 years ago and hadn't returned. Now that his mother has "taken a turn for the worse", Paul returns to Gritton and the first thing his mother says to him is, "you shouldn't be here."

25 years ago, a mysterious and sinister boy named Charlie Crabtree had murdered one of his classmates and was never seen again. In the following years, the mystery of Charlie Crabtree inspires several copycat killers. Now, Detective Amanda has to sort through this tangled mess.

I never try to summarize books because I always fail miserably. Here is a meager attempt and I will clarify a bit later on why I did so.

I want to discuss some aspects of the book, in hopes that this can help you choose if this is the right book for you.

- Great rising action. It took its time to build up to the Climax. I could feel the tension building up in my chest. It was very interesting to see what led to the murder and how Paul Adams was linked to it. I loved James as a character and his dynamics with Charlie. I think it was done well, and realistically.

- I love the use of technology in books. And the book [partially] delivered. I wish I got to see more aspects of it in Detective Amanda's POV. I still enjoyed it none the less. If you like this, then I'd recommend checking out Dragon Head.
Dragon Head

- The ending was very clever and I have to admit I did not see the plot twist coming, and most of my predictions were wrong. I think it'd help me if I were to take it slow and take all the clues in and process it. But this was such a page-turner that I made a fool out of myself. Lol.

- The Characters are pretty much isolated from each other. As a result, the character dynamics aren't that fleshed out, but on the other hand, you can analyze each of the characters closely, Isolating the characters from each other effectively puts them under a microscope, so you can scrutinize them and get to know them independently.

- The resolution was unsatisfactory. I think the ending was rushed a bit. I'd say that Climax started at 85% of the book when it should've started at about 70%. I still have a few questions left unanswered. I just didn't feel the book should've ended then. At the ending, I was like, "what? Already? Seriously?". In a way, it left me wanting for more.

- The flow of the book. As for the book itself, I think there was minimal friction from jumping between timelines. HOWEVER. I experienced a lot of friction between the character POVs. I found Amanda's character to be more of a plot device that holds the story together than to be a fully brought out character. I wonder why the synopsis didn't mention her at all since she's getting 1 of 2 character POVs.....hmmm... Oh, it's because she's a caricature. Can you tell I did not care about her?

- The voice actors for the audiobook. I think that these actors are very talented at what they do I like the narrator of Paul better. I didn't like Amanda as a character because she [the character not the actor] jammed the flow of the book. I was constantly wishing to just switch back already. Again, I blame the text. The actors performed what they were given and they did a great job.

That's about it folks. Read it if you want to. Happy reading.

When Paul was fifteen years old, his clan of four, led by the bully Charlie Crabtree, became enthralled, as teenagers will, in the subject of lucid dreams. Charlie insisted that he was able to control his dreams and that eventually all four boys could dream and interact in the same scenarios concurrently. I am not a fan of stories about dreams but since they were young and impressionable, I willingly went along for the ride to see where it would lead. Somehow, it lead to murder and Paul ended up leaving home for many years, while the murder was left unsolved and Charlie Crabtree disappeared into thin air. Now Paul has reluctantly returned to town because his mother is dying, and there seem to be copycat murders occurring. Even though his mother has dementia, she makes a rather chilling statement that leaves Paul confused and a bit panic stricken.

In the meantime the local police are trying to solve the current murders in the hope they will also find the perpetrator from twenty-five years ago.

The Shadows is where the group always met in private, the thick woods behind Paul's house.

The woods and the unknown secrets lent a certain creepiness factor to the story. But I must say this was not half as creepy or thrilling as Alex North's [book:The Whisper Man|41940236] [bookcover:The Whisper Man|41940236]. Alex seems to find hands particularly creepy, as do I. I think I can trace it back to watching the very cheesy 1963 movie The Crawling Hand back in 1974 with my two BFF. We laughed at it but the images remain embedded in my brain.

3.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to NetGalley for the free audiobook.

Sometimes there are books or authors that have so much potential, but ultimately let you down. Alex North's The Shadows is one for me. The story had so much going for it that I was pretty hooked for a while. A creepy murder mystery with elements of the supernatural is ALWAYS a draw for me. But this just fell flat.

North is a good writer. He puts just enough supernatural in the story that you believe it could still happen and I think that's what makes his stories good. But, like a bad Christmas present, you get to the height of the excitement and open the gift and it's a pair of socks. I was left thinking, "Why did you do this to me again North??". I felt the same way after The Whisper Man. I must say that this story had a better twist than The Whisper Man though.

Overall a good book though.

I enjoyed Alex North’s The Whisper Man so I knew this would be the spooky read I needed. The cover is what sold me but the story kept me interested and wanting to know more. The two narrators did a great job. They helped the story run smoothly without feeling choppy. The audio gave you the creepy eery feels at just the right moments. I look forward to reading more from North in the future.

If you like creepy books, you will definitely like this one. I don’t tend to read supernatural-type books but this one was great. Along similar lines to The Chalk Man. I ended up listening to the whole book in the last two days as I was gripped. The narration was smooth, allowing me to enjoy the book without getting annoyed by someone attempting accents or voice changes. I need to go find some more Alex North books now.

I loved this audiobook!
It kept me engaged and I really loved the two different perspectives and how things intertwined! The narration promoted suspense and constantly left me wanting to listen to one more chapter.
Giving this book/story/audiobook, 4.5 stars!

I actually finished the audiobook version of this last week but forgot to add it to my Goodreads and so here we are.

I enjoyed this book overall. I thought the plot was interesting. Not overly suspenseful or scary but it did keep my attention.

There are two narrators for this book: Hannah Aterton and John Heffernan. Aterton voiced Detective Amanda Beck and Heffernan did the main character Paul. Between the two, I found Aterton more compelling which is predictable since out of all the characters in this book, I found Amanda Beck to the the most interesting of all.

She reminded me of my favorite detective heroine Eve Dallas. Prickly with issues galore. And I wish she was in this book a lot more.

Unfortunately, this was mainly Paul Adams's story and his narrator wasn't my favorite.

All those aside, I did enjoy the plot of this book as well as the characters. Unfortunately again, this book suffers from too many plot twists.

The first two were great! It delivered on the WTF moment and going back you sort of see the clues there. Unfortunately, the last twist ruined it.

It wasn't set up very well and it ended up being explained to the readers why that twist happened and the motivation behind it. It was anticlimactic to say the least.

Overall, it's a good book that got ruined by an overused plot twist that wasn't set up properly.


An audio copy was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

RED Hands EVERY WHERE,
YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE


My thoughts
Rating:5
Would I recommend it? Yes , in fact I've been telling my friends that if liked or even loved The Whisper Man then their like or love this one as well
Would I read anything else by this author? Yes, in fact this is the second book by him that I've read, the first was his book The Whisper Man.
Would I listen to these narrators again : maybe
First of I want to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for giving me the change to listen to this as an audio book because as soon as I saw that NetGalley had it as an Listen Now there was no way I could say no to that since I read and liked The Whisper Man and had been waiting to get my hands on this one to either read or listing to . And we have a winner, just finished it and wow ,it was like I was listen to a book that Stephen King might of wrote, it was dark, and creepy and twisted in ways that made it so much more spooky then the Whisper Man ever was. And it had me making setting on the edge of my set the enter time.
As for the narrators themselves they managed to bring the story alive and give it a little bit something more in fact i would say it was how they conveying the eeriness of the story as well as making it even more haunting and chilling

The Shadows is the first book I read, and thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio, also listened to. According to goodreads, Alex North is a crime and thriller author from the UK and has written under a different name in the past.

I love the cover! I think it's so clever and it definitely drew me in. Like the cover, this book was creepy, but in a really good way. I think the audio made it even creepier, having a voice right in your ear, telling you about The Shadows where something or somebody might be hiding. That's what Paul, the protagonist must find out.

Paul Adams is returning to the small town he grew up in because his mother is dying. Coming back to his hometown forces him to face his past and a murder that happened 25 years ago. There's been many copycat murders since then and Paul feels guilt for the part he played in the initial murder.

As Paul remembers his past, we learn of his high school friends. One of them is Charlie Crabtree and he gave me the heebie jeebies. He has the group of friends form a club to practice lucid dreaming and showing up in each other's dreams. He's always bringing the group into The Shadows and since that first murder 25 years ago, Charlie hasn't been seen.

The writing is excellent. The story revealed gradually and keeping me guessing. I will definitely read more Alex North.

The audio is narrated by Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan and they do a great job converying the eerieness of this story. If you like haunting and chilling, then The Shadows is for you.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🐛

I absolutely loved the concept of this book - the idea that a group can come together in a lucid dream and complete a 'mission' so you can forever live in the dream world. Although it sounded far-fetched, the author did a brilliant job of injecting realism and making the whole thing feel possible. I found the whole idea fascinating and found myself really involved in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Charlie Crabtree and the murder that occurred.

The story alternated between the perspective of Paul (once a reluctant member of Charlie's gang) and Amanda, a police officer investigating a similar murder years later. I found both characters interesting and enjoyed the insight from both sides (that of someone with a connection as well as a person investigating). It was a clever way to get a well-rounded perspective.

I didn't see the twists coming and was particularly shocked by one. The story had a good pace and plenty of action. The ending was good with all the loose ends wrapped up well. There was a tiny something lacking for me but that may just be because I listened on audio rather than read the book.

I haven't read the author's other book but I am definitely keen to after this one.

I enjoyed Alex North’s “The Whisper Man” and found the mystery elements in that novel to be compelling. This follow-up, “The Shadows”, unfortunately did not reach that same level to me. While I don’t mind the inclusion of supernatural forces in my thrillers, here, not much was added as a result of it. I did not have the same excitement to pick up this book as it seemed to lack the level of suspense I was looking for. 3/5 stars ⭐️ for me on this one.

This is my first read of Alex North, and I totally understand now why many readers said “he’s the man of a creepy novels”

The plot is actually very simple, something very terrible happened twenty five years ago with Paul and his friends (James, Charlie and Billy), ended up with one of them disappeared, the group wasn’t a group of friends anymore, Paul decided to erased that memories.. And later Paul had to remember that moment again because his Mother had brought it up and sort of warned him “you shouldn’t be here Paul”.
Unpredictable and twist factors were applied in the story, it’s just the ending that makes me kind of “not really satisfied” with all the unanswered questions that appeared in my mind since early chapters. Not to mention there were some emotional parts too, which was really blended well in this creepy book.

Overall, I liked the book, creepy factors are guaranteed, and I do recommend the audio version for this book. There are two narrators, both were doing excellent voice for this book, it really gives a soul. There were some moments that successfully made me jumped, had to close my eyes to make sure “that there was no ghost around me”, and I choose to listened to this in a broad daylight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC audiobook provided.

4 stars

Alex North is a great storyteller, especially when it comes to horror and ghosts. If you read his earlier book, The Whisper Man, know that The Shadows has that same creepy, intense vibe to it. When certain things start happening, Paul Adams starts remembering what happened that awful night 25 years ago. It seems that a copycat killer has popped up. No matter how much Paul wants to forget, he just can't. Soon, his mom starts talking about something in the house. What is going on?

The audiobook narrators were great. I would listen to them again.

Overall, this was a pretty good book. But personally, I don't think Alex North is the author for me. I thought that with The Whisper Man but thought I would try again with The Shadows. It was good, but not for me.

This is a creepy story better read in daylight. The narrators were excellent and I didn't want to stop listening. I would definitely recommend the audio version.

I had an...abnormal childhood; consequently, I had nightmares. These were generally dreams of being chased (and needing to get myself and someone else away from the threat); somehow I taught myself to recognize what was happening. Then I and those in my care would escape in some unrealistic way (like flying) and I would wake up. Apparently, I taught myself to have lucid dreams.

I'm not sure, but listening to this audiobook right after listening to His & Hers *probably* has something to do with why I didn't love this story as much. Both audiobooks have both a male and female narrator (well-done) and have dual POV and flashbacks; the stories both happen in England and are in similar genres. I thought His & Hers was a 4.5 star read (rounded down) and I think this is a 3.5 star read (rounded up.)

“Oh god, it’s in the house, Paul…It’s in the fucking house!”

The story introduces a lot of characters, which can be difficult to follow in an audiobook. Several times (even near the end), I was a little lost in the who's who and who did what. The story develops at a slow pace, and then suddenly takes a turn (I didn't see coming and wasn't too crazy about) and then feels rushed, although this may be due to the large cast of characters involved that I had trouble keeping straight. Among other things, in the flashback, we learn about the attempts of a group of kids to have lucid dreams.

It's atmospheric, a creepy story in parts, and will be satisfying for many readers. I just feel less than satisfied. I don't want to re-listen to figure out the loose ends I didn't get; maybe I missed something, maybe it wasn't there. From other reviews, I don't think this was due to missing The Whisper Man, the author's previous book (not a prequel to this one.)

This was my second audiobook from netgalley. As before, the netgalley app is glitchy, stopping the narration in the middle of sentences and between sections. Since I listen while I'm doing things, this is quite inconvenient. I'm going to listen to some other audiobooks (other apps) for a while as netgalley hopefully improves their app.

I wasn’t able to listen to this before it was removed from NetGalley app. I had it downloaded and was going to listen to it this week but the archived date was set after I downloaded it and never knew when it was going to be removed. Sorry I couldn’t review this in time.

From the depths of Nicole’s Book Cellar (Instagram.com/nicoles_bookcellar):

Book: The Shadows (Release Date: July 7, 2020)

Author: Alex North

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Rating: 3⭐⭐⭐

Plot: Paul had friend killed by an associate twenty-five years earlier. This associate was named Charlie and he was a very disturbed and sinister dude. The weirdest thing is that after the ritualistic killing, Charlie vanishes.

Paul has had nightmares about his friend been killed and now feels that someone is following him. After a few copycat killings, Paul wonders is Charlie back or is it someone new.

Thoughts: There was a lot going on in the book and a few parts seemed a little draggy. However, I absolutely LOVED the reveal of what happened that night, twenty-five years earlier, and immediately after. I think what I didn’t like was the ending part about the new copycat killings. I liked the dream plot parts and how North reveals how the dreams actually happened. I actually giggled at that part.

Final drinking thoughts: Alex North knows how to make you feel creepy in the depths of your soul. He did that with The Whisper Man and now again with The Shadows. If you like weird, sinister, creepy, ritualistic stories then this is the one for you.

Thank you to @NetGalley @MacmillanAudio and #AlexNorth for a copy of @TheShadows

#TheShadows #Stmartinspress #NetGalley #thriller #mystery #Books #Wine #Fiction #BookReview #ILikeBigBooksAndICannotLie #Bookstigator #GoodReads #WinerRead #wineandread #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic

Amazing Creep-factor! This book gave me the heebie-jeebies!

I fell in love with Alex North's previous novel, The Whisper Man. I thought about that story for a long time after I read it. When I heard he had another book releasing, I had to have it!

The Shadows is a multi-perspective, multi=timeline story concerning a crime committed 25 years ago. Paul was a suspect back then in a case that involved his friends and a creepy scheme of lucid dreaming. One of his "friends", Charlie Crabtree was the one that initiated and actually committed the heinous crime. Paul left town not expecting to return, but was brought back due to health issues of his mother.

The other perspective is from Detective Amanda Beck. She is a returning character from The Whisper Man. She sets out to investigate some strange new deaths that are reminiscent of the case from 25 years ago.

This book is very fast paced and easy to follow. It is dark and suspenseful - allowing the reader to be completely immersed in the story - hence the creep-factor. While I was able to figure out some of the small things, the larger pieces were not revealed until the end.

I did listen to the audio of the book, and I tried to follow in the text. I think this took away some of the experience that I would have had if I had just read the story. I do plan to reread the book later this fall without the audio.

Overall, I did enjoy the story.