Bridget secretly works as a researcher for a top fantasy author, but when she thinks he’s gone missing (and he has), she’s one of the only people that believes it and sets off trying to find him. The book is told in a few POV’s, but mostly Bridget and Bob, the author. Bob is kind of a George R.R. Martin type of author, and his ordeal is reminiscent of the author in Misery by Stephen King. This was a quick, interesting mystery! While not a lot is a “mystery” from the reader, it is from Bridget so it’s cool seeing her piece things together and work it all out.

April Henry is one of the best middle grade/young adult writers there is. The books are easy to read, fast paced, and appealing. And like all her others, this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s not my favorite, but it’s solid and an easy one to recommend.

Did you say LARPing?! YOU DID SAY LARPING! The nerd in me just sang a happy song. This book had such a fun recipe of ragtag oddballs, a hint of romance, LARPing (obviously) and kidnapping?! I have never read an April Henry book but I will absolutely be checking out more of her books moving forward.

April Henry is the most read author in my library! This is another great one by her that my students are loving.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

Eyes of the Forest by April Henry
A special thanks to Henry Holt and Company and NetGalley for the advanced read a copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book all thoughts and opinions are my own. When this book came up on NetGalley I automatically grabbed it. Much to my shock it wasn’t a thriller like I had anticipated when seeing April Henry’s name. However it’s a delightful story about a 17-year-old girl named Bridget. While Bridget’s mom was sick with cancer they bonded over a fantasy book series called Swords and Shadows. Bridget whose obsession grew even more after her mother passed becomes an encyclopedia of sorts on all the facts. When she meets the author at a signing and corrects him about one of the points of his book he hires her to help him keep everything straight. But Holden the author has been dealing with writers block when he suddenly sons Bridget an odd email. When Bridget can’t get a hold of him she goes to the police but they think she’s just a crazed fan. She knows she’s on her own but will she be in time to save Holden?

April Henry draws inspiration from Stephen King's Misery and George R.R. Martin's The Winds of Winter in her newest thriller, Eyes of the Forest. Bridget is an R.M. Haldon super-fan. After a meeting at one of his book signings, Haldon is impressed with Bridget's knowledge of his series. He decides to take her on as a consultant to his highly popular series that seems highly reminiscent of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. Haldon is stuck on the last book in his series, Eyes of the Forest. Fans have become angered, and in an attempt to get over his writing block, Haldon comes up with a plan to be "kidnapped" by one of his assistants and her son. However, Joanne and Derrick (the mother and son kidnapping team) realize they can capitalize on Haldon's captivity in the dark web. Suddenly, Haldon's kidnapping becomes all too real. Middle grade and high school readers will enjoy this fast-paced thriller. Some of the terms like LARPing, nods to George R.R. Martin, etc. may go over their heads, but it won't deter from the overall plot. My middle school students love April Henry and will eat this up.

Eyes of the Forest will be an instant win in the classroom library. It is a fast-paced thriller and readers will enjoy the twists throughout the story.

While I don't feel like the plot summary does it much justice, overall I enjoyed the pacing so much and was so swept up in the tension that I didn't have time to grapple much with errors in misrepresentation.

Summary:
After a bestselling fantasy writer disappears, only his biggest fan believes he’s in danger. Instead of re-reading his books, she must venture into the real world to uncover the truth in this fast-paced mystery by New York Times-bestselling author April Henry. For readers of Courtney Summers and Karen McManus.

Bridget is RM Haldon's biggest fan. She and her mom sought refuge in Haldron's epic fantasy series Swords and Shadows while her mom was losing her battle with cancer. When Bridget met Haldon at one of his rare book signings, she impressed the author with her encyclopedic knowledge of the fantasy world he'd created. Bridget has been working for him ever since as he attempts to write the final book in his blockbuster sword and sorcery series. But Haldon has gone missing, and Bridget is the only person who seems concerned. Can Bridget piece together Haldon’s cryptic clues and save him before it’s too late?

Master mystery-writer April Henry weaves another heart-stopping young adult thriller in this story that seamlessly blends suspense with an exploration of fan culture.

My review for this book was incorrect. I had a different book in mind. So sorry. I am still working on reading this book. Please disregard this review.

The premise of Eyes of the Forest is really gripping. Unfortunately, I just think this wasn’t the book for me. I found it really difficult to get into and struggled to find the motivation to pick it back up. My sister is a HUGE fan of April Henry’s work and encouraged me to give it another go, but after picking it up again, I realized it wasn’t meant to be. I’m just not the right audience for this book, but wouldn't hesitate to encourage someone else to give it a try.

I usually look forward to April Henry's books. This is my least favorite of her books. Henry is a great storyteller. I had a hard time getting into the story for some reason. I will look forward to her next book. I will not discourage you from reading this book, Henry is one of my favorite YA authors. This one was just not for me.

Cleverly written with a twist some readers won't see coming, Eyes of the Forest will be a favorite of April Henry fans after just a few pages. Not as sinister as Stephen King's Misery, but with a similar theme, readers will find themselves engrossed in this twisted tale of an over-the-top obsession with a popular book series. The story is told from the perspective of three main characters. First, there is RM Haldon, an author whose book series has a cult-like following, but who has come down with a serious case of writer's block when it comes to finishing his uber-popular series. Second, we meet Bridget, a lonely teenage girl whose incredible knowledge and detail recall of Haldon's books has earned her a trusted place in his life as she uses it to help him ensure he doesn't make mistakes in the world of his series, Swords and Shadows. Finally, there is Derrick, a fellow student of Bridget's whose obsession with role-playing games and, more importantly for this story, Swords and Shadows, makes him so impatient for the last book that he kidnaps Haldon in an attempt to help him complete his masterpiece. Each character is developed enough for readers to understand their motivations, though the twists Henry employs will keep them from seeing the plot as completely black and white. Whether this is the 5th Henry book a reader has completed or their first, readers will enjoy her signature brand of sinister mystery.

This is a story about a really big fan.. and potentially a warning to several prominent authors who’ve left series unfinished 🤣.

I thought this was going to be frightening, and it wasn’t- but it was a lot of fun. Sort of a light take on misery with a side of fantasy saga fans who larp. A solidly enjoyable & quick read!

Thanks so much Netgalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR

Overall I found this to be a fast, easy and enjoyable read. I guess this could be listed as a mystery, but you already know who and what from the beginning, the book was more focused on the resolution of the issue. Eyes of the Forest was a YA modern/digital age version of the book/movie Misery where the beloved author is kept locked up by a fan mixed with the fan base/fantasy world building of Game of Thrones. I don't have a lot to say about the book besides I found it pretty entertaining and it was a quick read, even if at times it was very far-fetched. The author was even able to add romance as well as delicious food to the story (neither of which are very important or crucial to the plot), just a random FYI. This is a YA contemporary standalone so no need to wait for another book to be released and there was a satisfying wrapped up conclusion to tie all loose ends.

In Eyes of the Forest a fan of an epic fantasy series, Swords and Shadows, kidnaps the author R.M. "Bob" Haldon and chains him to a treadmill desk, ordering him to finish the series finale. It is up to his continuity advisor Bridget Shepherd to save him. Alternating between the perspectives of the George R.R. Martin-esque author, the kidnapper Derek, a socially inept geek at Bridget's high school, Bridget and Ajay, a potential love interest to whom Bridget is reading the series, the narrative moves along at a fast pace. Bob communicates with Bridget via coded messages, hoping she will realize something is wrong. He met Bridget at a book signing, where he was impressed with her encyclopedic knowledge of the Swords and Shadows world. She and her mother read the series obsessively as Mom was dying of cancer, and Bridget has created a database which she uses to fact check his work. Now he is stuck in a cabin writing a schlocky version of the finale which Derek is selling online; meanwhile Bob is surreptitiously writing the real finale. As Bridget shares her suspicions with the police and Ajay, they discount her theory, and she must act alone. This suspenseful thriller with nod to Game of Thrones and Misery, the Kathy Bates film where her character keeps her favorite author captive, effectively weaves fan culture into a spellbinding mystery.

What we have come to know about April Henry: suspenseful and perfect for middle school students. This will fly off the shelves when I get it in my middle school library.

When RM Haldon goes missing, Bridget needs to find him. Haldon is the author of her favorite fantasy series and the last book needs to be written. When a dark website shows pictures and videos of the author, Bridget knows something is wrong. Using his clues, Bridget needs to unravel the mystery of his location. Not as suspenseful as previous April Henry books read.

First sentence: The gun looked real. No orange tip, no obvious seams where molded plastic pieces had been glued together.

Premise/plot: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR. Bestselling author, R.M. Haldon has writer's block. He has a long, long list of excuses for why he hasn't written the last book in the Swords and Shadows series titled, Eyes of the Forest. One quip being is that he's so blocked that he won't be able to write it unless he's kidnapped and held at gunpoint. One fan takes this literally as an invitation...

Bridget, our heroine, is Haldon's biggest fan--well, one of them. She's been working with him on an official capacity helping him with research. A LOT of details go into world-building, character development, and plotting--Bridget pulls it all together.

Bridget, of course, is not Haldon's only fan. She's one of many... but she may be his only chance at getting rescued...

My thoughts: I'm not happy with how the jacket copy reads. And I'm not satisfied with my summary attempt either. Really I feel this is one of those books where it's best if you know as little as possible. It offers a little of everything for readers--a glimpse at the fandom of fantasy, a mystery, a thriller, a tiny bit of romance. (Bridget is introducing a classmate to Haldon's series by reading them aloud to him at lunch. The two have grown close. Bridget knows she likes-like him, but does he like-like her? Readers are never really sure that he's equally interested in her in that way.)

There are multiple narrators. It can be a bit dark, bleak, and creepy.


Eyes of the Forest is best at being a fast-paced thriller. I was so swept up into the suspense/thriller aspects of it that I didn't really slow down enough to notice any flaws and weaknesses.

April Henry has a way with mysteries. I usually read everything that she writes, and this was no exception. While I did enjoy the book, it is my least favorite of her books so far. It seemed as if it took too long into the book to get to the part where the author's biggest fan has to save him. Overall, it was solid, but she has better options for those interested in reading an April Henry book.

A quick, entertaining read for anyone who loves books about books, mystery and fantasy. April Henry is a master storyteller, who knows how to engage her reader and keep their attention all way through!

Bridget is a quiet girl with a gift for noticing and remembering details. She's been working for her favourite author RM Haldon keeping track of of every little scrap of info related to the fictional universe of his fantasy books. If you belong to any fandoms, you'll appreciate her good luck in getting this dream job. The latest instalment in the series is overdue, but Bridget is relentlesslessly defending Haldon. She is understandably worried, when the author goes missing. These books gave her mom so much comfort when she was fighting her terminal disease, Bridget feels she needs to everything she can to solve the mystery and save the writer.

I am a big fan of Stephen King and this one is essentially a YA retelling of one of his timeless classics, which originated the trope of a crazy/stalkerish fan. You probably know which book/movie I'm talking about. When a trope is good, it IS good, and is worth re-exploring and re-imagining. Our world has changed - a huge part of our lives is now led online, for better or worse. There's also more awareness/attention paid to lifestyle (where there is a choice, which isn't always the case), although things are not straightforward and not everyone is going to be comfortable with this aspect of the story.
I really liked the characters April Henry created in this book- perhaps with the exception of one, who seemed a bit far-fetched. Bridget is smart, independent, and resourceful. It was also great to see the pressures of writing and the publishing world from the point of view of Bob/ RM Haldon.
​The story is told in short, snappy chapters with excellent pace, which contributes to building suspense and sense of urgency.

Overall, a fast-paced YA mystery with a compelling storyline and interesting issues explored.

“Misery” meets “Game of Thrones” with an April Henry twist best captures the plot and characters in Henry’s novel “Eyes of the Forest” . The premise of the novel is that a famous fantasy novelist, RM Haldon, goes missing but mysteriously some of his long awaited writing appears in private internet groups. Bridget, possibly Haldon’s most dedicated fan as well as researcher for his beloved fantasy series, suspects that something is amiss but cannot convince anyone to believe her. She goes out on her own to find and save RM Haldon.

This novel is not a typical April Henry book because it examines the world of LARPING and high fantasy. Although I enjoyed the mystery, action, and suspense, die-hard April Henry fans might feel a bit disconnected. I enjoyed reading about the novelist’s writing process and habits. I definitely would suggest this book to students who read fantasy books and might want to explore other genres.

I would like to thank April Henry and Henry Holt & Co for giving me access to this book via Netgalley. I look forward to sharing the title with my students.