Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

As I like to go into thrillers/horror books blind (and if you still haven't heard of the plot,) I will only reveal that this story is about a murder mystery that involves some supernatural aspects.

The book was pretty meh. I enjoyed the first quarter of the story but after that it had the flaw of being unnecessary long for the story that was being told, so at the end when I was done, the only thing I could say was "meh." As I read in another review earlier, the pov of the other character telling the story also felt like it was there just for the sake of being there. I still enjoyed some parts in between the book but I was expecting more since it had a great suspenseful start.

What I Loved: I absolutely adored The Whisper Man and was so excited by The Shadows as a sort of companion to North’s first novel. The only similarities between the two was how dark they were and, as someone who reads horror novels on a regular basis, I enjoyed it. Unfortunately that is where the positives stop for me. I thought the concept was great but found the execution ultimately lacking.

What I Didn’t Love: First, there were so many characters, in both timelines and so it got confusing really quick. One of the major components of the book is this idea of lucid dreaming and honestly, the book felt like one disjointed, chaotic dream that wrapped up with more questions than answers. This chaos did not lend itself well to a coherent and clear plot. Half the time I could not tell whether the chapter I was reading was occurring in Paul’s head as a dream, or did it really happen? It irritates me just thinking about it.

Overall, I gave this one 3 stars.

I read this book before listening to the audiobook version and it was just as good listening to it be read to me as it was reading it myself.
Maybe not the best bedtime story but there is something relaxing about being read to whilst snuggled up in bed!
The narration was enjoyable and well suited to the plot of the book which you don't always find with audiobooks. Having a good narrator is just as important as having a really great plot line to keep you fully engaged throughout.
This is the first audiobook that I have tried and finished as well as really enjoyed and I think that it was both the quality of the story as well as the voice reading to me.
If like me you have found it hard to get into listening to audiobooks then this one is a great place to start regardless if you have already read the book or not.
I have now found a new love of audiobooks which I didn't think were for me and now I find myself listening to a book every night in bed.
It is a bit like reverting to childhood when your parents would read you a bedtime story!
I haven't mastered the art of listening to books whilst doing other things like the housework, but I have rediscovered knitting in this lockdown and as long as the knitting pattern is easy the being read too whist knitting is really relaxing and really enjoyable.
I highly recommend both the book and the audiobook and I cant wait for the next Alex North book to be published!

This was my first Alex North novel, but it will not be my last. The book was engaging, the audiobook was a great listen, and the plot had its twists and turns. I gave it three stars as the past and present timelines couple with a large character cast made it quite confusing to keep up with. Maybe I’ll read it again in ebook or physical book form to better follow the plot.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so engaging from start to finish. I felt like i was watching an extremely descriptive movie, and could see each and every event take place! The audio is extremely well done and the story itself is masterful!

Thank you for the opportunity to listen and review this book early!!

This book was fine. I did the audiobook while moving across the country, and it kept me entertained, which is about all I could ask for at the time. It tended to meander, and definitely left a lot to be desired. I didn't love the supernatural aspects of the story, especially when they lacked a payout.

You know what? Maybe it’s because I haven’t read a mystery/thriller in a long time but I really enjoyed this.

I love when books in this genre have a “terrible thing happened many years ago and now a man is coming back to his hometown to face his past when more terrible things start back up again”

Like it’s overdone but I live for it. I am the target audience for that trope no matter how many times it happens.

This was fast paced and well written, I think I maybe preferred Whisper Man just a smidge more but honestly if you liked one, you’ll like the other.


TW: suicide, murder

This is a saved-for-Halloween-read that I expected to love, because of all the positive reviews. I was looking for scary thrills, creepy chills, and even some horror-light—with paranormal touches and perhaps a hint of supernatural. Meh. In fact, things paranormal or supernatural really aren’t. Lucid dreaming—as presented in this book—is not even believable. There are a multitude of characters due to dueling timelines and copycat murders—and some crucial characters are not very believable. As for any twists and turns, they’re worthy of another meh or three.

Great job to Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan, whose narration made this book come to life for me. The pace was slow, but happily the narrators’ voices were wonderful even at 1.7-1.8 speed.

DNF- I just couldn’t get through this book after trying multiple times in print and on audio. The story line didn’t engage me enough.

This book was just okay for me. This was my first audiobook review through NetGalley, and the order of some parts of the book got messed up, so I ended up listening to it in an odd order. It was hard to tell, because the book is told through varying timelines, so I had to play around with the audio when I realized that something was off. Overall, my experience listening to the story was impacted by that. However, it was certainly an interesting enough story that kept you guessing for a while. It could be that I would have enjoyed it more if I weren't dealing with audio issues.

I listened to this book while reading it and it might be my new favourite way to read. I got completely consumed by the book. I loved The Whisper Man so I was very excited to read The Shadows. The narrator was great. This book was just so creepy and I loved the twist. It did not disappoint! I definitely recommend both of Alex North’s book. I can’t decide which one I liked more honestly. I wasn’t expecting the big twist at all. I really enjoyed this book.

The narration was great! Alex North is a really promising horror/thriller author, I am eager to see how his writing and stories evolve in future novels. I will recommend this one to any readers looking for an innovative and thrilling mystery.

This was a wonderful listen. The story kept me entertained throughout. The mystery of whether there are paranormal aspect occurring or not in Alex North’s books are so fascinating to read (and in this case, listen). I am never really interested in detectives or detective stories but his stories have both contained detectives and I am still eager to read his novels. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for his next book.

The audio quality via net galley was terrible and I just could not continue to listen to it on this platform. I contacted Netgalley about this problem a few times and there was no solution.

Since I was told if I did not review it would not change my reviewer percentage and thus have a negative effect on me, I waited until I could obtain an audiobook copy from my local library.

Sadly even with better audio quality, this book just was not for me.

Even at the 30% mark, it was difficult to know what was going on. The switching back and forth between now and then was choppy. The plot was disorganized and it was not explained well.

The characters were not developed or presented clearly. It was near impossible to figure out who the players were.

I appreciated the spooky air of the book, it just was not executed in a way that I enjoyed.

This was a decidedly average book for me. It tells the story of Paul, called back to his childhood home to care for his dying mother, where the horrors of his past are back to haunt him. The plot was pretty pedestrian and felt formulaic, with a lot of the revelation being unremarkable. I thought that the ending was lacklustre and overall, was quite bored.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Shadows was not my first Alex North book but it will be my last.

These books are sold and advertised as scary and thrilling but they are just mysteries at best.

I will not be reading another Alex North book.

Honestly
I didn't like this book much, after reading the whisper man by Alex North I had high hopes to read something which would make me intrigued and expect more from this author. I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the storyline for some reason, even though the narrations were amazing the story fell flat most of the times.
The predictability of the plot was quite jarring because it was too open except in a few places. I loved the fact that there were many characters but I didn't like that they were so vague.
The gap between the story connections made me lose interest at some point. I liked the landscape and the initial concept of the dream journal but damn I guessed the hypothesis behind it too soon. I liked the underlying emotions of the characters which was shown, on the whole I didn't love the book but it was alright, maybe I wouldn't have picked a copy for myself anytime.

The Shadows is my first novel from author Alex North. I’ve heard great things about his writing and the way he tells a story. I was intrigued and I’m so glad I gave him a try!

The audiobook kept my attention. It started off a tad slow, but I didn’t mind. Once it picked up, I was literally on the edge of my seat, like I was watching a thriller movie right before my eyes. The twists were a pleasant surprise.

My favorite thing about this book was the multiple points of view! All my favorite books have that and this one didn’t disappoint! I was happy with the way the author tied up the story and I can’t wait to read more!

Thank you to netgalley, publishers and author, Alex North for the gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Every bit as riveting and atmospheric as North's last novel. If you enjoyed The Whisper Man, you'll love this one too. The narration is very well done and the storyline itself is completely captivating.

I really liked the backstory and history of Paul and his friends. There were several twists which made for entertaining listening. It also played with elements of paranormal vs cult tactics vs tricks.

**Review posted on Goodreads and personal Instagram book review page