The ending of this book fell short for me, but overall I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to others. It's creepy and kept my attention throughout. I really enjoyed the narrators also and think they really helped bring the story to life.

I had incredibly high expectations for this book since I loved The Whisper Man and while the book fell short of my expectations, it is a good book. I listened to the audiobook and Hannah Arterron and John Heffernan are terrific as the narrators. They cast an eerie vibe over the story.

It is a creepy tale of childhood “friends” and their mischief and stories they invent and the consequences that happen. Charlie, a friend/bully, during Paul’s childhood starts creating chaos from a dream diary and tragedy happens. Fast forward 25 years and there may be a copycat. The story flips back and forth from the present to Paul’s childhood trying to unravel a killer.

I received this book as an audiobook ARC for free in exchange for an honest review via macmillan audio and netgalley.

When I saw the shadows was available on netgalley as an audiobook, I couldn't believe my luck. I had purchased the whisper man previously due to the high volume of excellent reviews I saw and had yet to read it, so I figured why not read them back to back? When I was approved, I didnt think these stories were very connected (maybe I missed something in the synopsis or I forgot) but they are actually very connected. In fact the shadows does mention the whisper man, though I don't think it spoiled it, and shared a character! Comparing the two I will say, I found myself MUCH more engaged with the plot of the shadows. There was a sense of ominous tension with the shadows I did not find with the whisper man. On it's own, it was a great read that made you want to keep listening, and i think the narrator did a great job. The best part was the phenomenal twist at the end which I never saw coming. I love that this story introduced and played with the idea of lucid dreaming and it was such a unique entry point into the crux of the story. Overall, loved it!

This was a wonderfully creepy story and the narrator was perfect for conveying that feeling, as well as making the listener understand the main character's motivations. Another great one for Alex North!

I was a bit wary about trying The Shadows after not really enjoying Whisper Man last year. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this latest thriller. This is why I try to give author a second chance. The detective from the first book, Amanda is back in this one. She is investigating a potential copycat murder. The murder of a young boy mirrors a gruesome murder that happened 25 years before.

The mystery in the book was a lot more engaging. I did not call the twists and there are a few. The story waffles between the present investigation and what happened to Paul and his friends in the past. We see those parts through Paul's eyes. There are only a few points of view this time around and the story really benefitted from that. It did start out a little slow in the beginning, but by about 25%, I was sucked in. If you were hesitant to try this one based on your experience with the first book, I do recommend trying this one out.

I received this audiobook from netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I felt like this book was hard to get into. I’m not sure if it was the audiobook throwing me off or the story itself. I would recommend trying this book out in a hard copy or ebook instead.

This is a creepy story about copycat murders. It's told with two different timelines then during the orginal murders and now during the copycat murders. I appreciated having two narrators as it helped keep the story lines straight.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't my normal genre, but overall I liked it. Some parts are a little gory and I found myself getting queasy, but it is a good read. The narration on the audiobook is well done. I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes horror stories.

The Shadows reached in and made real what every child thinks they can do: control their dreams while sleeping. There were the creepy parts, but for me, the audio made it less creepy and at times I would start to zone out with the narriators very calming voice. The storyline however, was fantastic'!

Let me start by saying that I was so excited for this one. I absolutely fell in love with The Whisper Man and I thought that this one would be the same. I listened to this one on audio and sadly, I didn't like it. I actually prefer The Whisper Man to this one. I liked it but I did not love it. I felt like the story was boring at times and when I did feel like my attention was being grabbed, it did not last long. I wish I would've been creeped out and even scared like The Whisper Man did. I think part of the issue is that I might have hyped it up too much in my head before I got my hands on it. Or maybe I was expecting too much? I read this one about a month after the pub date and I know this it left a lot of people disappointed. Hoping the next one by this author will be extra scary and creepy.

I will keep this short and sweet. This definitely had the same atmospheric and chilling feel as The Whisper Man. The premise of lucid dreaming I think was pretty unique. Albeit the steady pace of the whole story, I enjoyed reading this and I will surely be on the lookout for Alex North's future works.

I loved this awesome book!

Creepy, dark and suspenseful, with a plot that hooked me from the get-go.
The Shadows is a horror story at its core but flirts with other genres and doesn't follow the rules of most books.

Some of the twists hit me in a way that I felt like I was physically slapped! Seriously. As if that wicked bony hand from the cover reached around and smacked me. I think I enjoyed this one more than the first book!

I will not be leaving a review on this audiobook.

Unfortunately, due to technical errors with downloading this audiobook, I could not listen to it and therefore I am not in a position to provide feedback on this book at this time.
I look forward to reading or listening to a copy in the near future in order to provide a proper review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review as it is a book that I would have enjoyed, I appreciate the opportunity to have received a copy.

The Shadows follows other atmospheric mysteries that weave in local legends and folklore similar to the Slender Man, leaving you guessing until the end whether the murder really was perpetrated by a supernatural being.
I enjoyed this read, made scarier by being alone while house sitting, and will probably check out more of Alex North's work when I want a fun and thrilling read.

Listening to suspenseful books is a whole different playing field than reading it. It keeps me on my toes and stops me from glancing ahead to see if my theories are right. That was all in all exactly that. Kept me guessing and on my toes.

This was a great creepy mystery that kept you guessing on what happened then and now until the last moment. I enjoyed reading this and am excited to read more by Alex North.

When Paul must return to his hometown to insure his mother's care, he must face the actions and consequences that led him to leave town 25 years ago. The narration of this story is spot on. Paul's memories of then and his revelations of current day are carefully revealed as the tension increases and his confusion leads to fear leads to memories of a time he desperately tried to forget. The addition of the voice of a police detective investigating a copy cat murder 100 miles away adds to the reader's inability to press that pause button for anything. I listened to the whole book in one day, it travelled everywhere I went, causing some unusual looks from my husband, but the ending was so good. Great read or listen, whichever is easiest for you.

This was one of my first experiences with audiobooks, and it was quite a good one!
In the Shadows we follow the events that took place in a little town, when a group of children start playing with dreaming journals and other stories that they should not mess up with, and then some years later the same events seem to start happening again.
What I liked the most about this story was the spooky and obscure atmosphere, at some points I was actually scared and I don't really get scared that easily. I think listening to this helped to enhance that atmosphere.
However, I found the story a little bit predictable, and by the end of the novel I started losing interest, and that made me disconnect from it as a whole.
All in all, if you're looking for an atmospheric and eerie story in these autumny months, I would wholeheartedly recommend this audiobook!

THE SHADOWS is a unique murder mystery that totally creeped me out. Dreams and nightmares freak me out to begin with but incorporating them into a brutal murder really set me on edge. The beginning was a bit slow and I expected a little more action. However, the twist at the end made for an intense finish.

First off, I LOVE this cover. It gives off the perfect vibes for this book. Next, I listened to the audio through the new Netgalley Shelf app. I LOVED the narrators, especially the male narrator. I felt he was perfectly matched to the character. I also really liked the female lead’s (Detective Amanda Buck) narrator, but she didn’t get as much “screen” time as I would have liked.

On to the book--the premise is that Paul Adams returns to his hometown after twenty-five years to visit his dying mother. He left town after gruesome ritualistic murder that included his friends as both perpetrators and victim. Its infamy inspired copycat crimes. The killer--Charlie Crabtree--was never found.

I loved the lucid dream aspect. It was especially intriguing. Crabtree is truly terrifying in his cunning, creepy mannerisms and schemes. There was plenty of suspense, but the biggest “twist” aka “whodunit” was disappointing. In thrillers, this resolution is one of my LEAST favorites--the kind where you’re kind of left feeling a little duped. It’s not terrible, but I think it could have gone a different direction. That said, there WERE several plot points that I think worked really well, and some twists that really surprised me in a good way.

It’s still a book I’d recommend to both audiobook listeners and to thriller/suspense fans.