3.5 stars.

The concept of this book had the right type of creepiness that engaged me straight away. I definitely could imagine the scenes playing on Netflix. The first 100 hundred pages got me hooked and I couldn't stop turning the pages.

After a great start, however, I started noticing repetitions. Up to the halfway mark, we still didn't get anywhere different in the story. Yes, the Watchers were still creepy and the survival story was still there, but there were too many pages dedicated to describing how terrible and insensitive Madeline was, although she was the only one who kept everyone alive because Daniel and Ciara were so useless and they kept failing in so many ways. The book really wanted to emphasise this, such that it was repeated multiple times from different point of views. We would get Madeline's chapter where she said Daniel and Ciara were helpless. We would then get Daniel's chapter where he complained about Madeline's authoritarian way, which would be supported by Ciara's chapter which conveyed the same thing. And then we would get back to Mina's (default) point of view which confirmed all of the above.

The main plot twist was kind of predictable to me, and the ending was also not surprising because I had expected that. Having said that, the overall reading experience was still very entertaining to me, so it was still a 3.5-star read!

Wow! I’ve just finished this novel and what an ending. I feel slightly shell-shocked and a bit disturbed by this incredible horror novel that’s very hard to describe, and difficult to tell you about without spoilers. I’m going to try, so bear with me. I’ve been a fan of classic ghost stories for most of my reading life. I blame the more Gothic aspects of the Brontë’s for this obsession; the tall, ghoul who rends Jane Eyre’s bridal veil in two and the pale, ghostly, child’s hand that reaches though the glass and grabs Lockwood’s shaking hand in Wuthering Heights. From that grew a love of the gothic and monstrous, honed at university and now stated by wonderful ghost stories like these. I don’t call it horror, though I suppose it is, because I don’t like blood and gore. I love the creeping sense of dread, the strange apparition that appears behind you in the mirror, the fleeting glimpse of something not human or the sound of a child laughing or singing in a house where there are none. It even extends to my own writing, because when I wrote a story about hag stones for my uni writing workshop, my tutor messaged me to say she’d found it deeply unsettling.

We see most of the events in this novel through Mina, a young woman living in urban Ireland, who lives alone and has lost her mother. Now without family - except one sister who appears to phone once a month or so, just to feel disappointed - she is largely a loner. Her loves are sketching, red wines and her friend Peter who is a buyer and seller of various things and often pays Mina cash to travel and deliver his client’s purchases. On this occasions she’s to take a golden parrot to a remote part of Galway, but the day trip becomes something she lives to regret. Having broken down on the edge of a forest, Mina realises that the likelihood of anyone passing by and helping are probably minimal. So, with the parrot in tow, she sets off walking in the hope of finding a remote farmhouse with a phone that works. Her phone has died in the same second she pulled up in the car. Once in the forest Mina realises her mistake, it seems bigger than from outside and she’s concerned that the light might start to fade before she can get to the other side. She feels unnerved, although she can’t say why, then she hears a scream that isn’t human, but isn’t like any animal she’s ever heard either. As the shadows gather she is beginning to panic, when suddenly she sees a woman beckoning her and urging her to hurry. She’s standing by a concrete bunker and although that seems odd, Mina decides it’s better than staying out here to be found by whatever made that terrible noise. As they hurry inside and the door slams behind them, the screams grow in intensity and volume, almost as if they were right on her heels. As her eyes adjust to the light she finds herself in a room with a bright overhead light. One wall is made entirely of glass, but Mina can’t see beyond it and into the forest because it is now pitch dark. Yet she has the creeping sensation of being watched through the glass, almost like she is the parrot in a glass cage. A younger man and woman are huddled together in one space, so there are now four people in this room, captive and watched by many eyes. Their keepers are the Watchers, dreadful creatures that live in burrows by day, but come out at night to hunt and to watch these captive humans. If caught out after dark, the door will be locked, and you will be the Watcher’s unlucky prey. Who are these creatures and why do they keep watching?

I was absolutely entranced by this incredibly disturbing tale and loved the way the author created this unbelievable world inside the everyday. In the opening section Mina’s world is relatively normal, she goes about her day like any one of us. She has an irritatingly perfect sister, she gets lonely, she sometimes drinks too much wine. We can identify with these imperfections and relate to her. So when this ordinary woman, finds herself caught up in the extraordinary, we believe it because we already believe in her. These woods are like countless others, we’ve probably walked into similar situations ourselves and got lost. Yet, the author carefully leave tiny details, that are probably pricking up our ears and instinctively alerting us that something is wrong. The remoteness of the place, the way her phone suddenly stops working, the single strange cry she hears as if something is on lookout, alerting others to her presence. All of these are universal literary signifiers for ‘something’s not right here’. The author never describes the Watchers visually, again there are signs they leave behind and other sensory clues: the burrows in the ground, claw marks around the window, the revolting smell, their cries. Just as Mina is standing in the light, unable to see them lurking in the dark, so are we. Even when you think we’re going to ‘see’ them, we never fully do. The clues set our imagination on overdrive, we build the monsters in our heads which makes them so much scarier as they feed into our personal fears and phobias.

The characters and their dynamics are fascinating too. With the younger man and woman quite subservient to their ‘leader’ Madeleine, the lady who beckons Mina in out of the dark, there’s an almost parent and child dynamic already established. The room, entitled the ‘coop’, gives us the impression of hens let out to feed and water, but locked in at night for fear of predators. However, with that image of protection comes a question; hens are kept safe by farmers or owners who want them to produce eggs, so what are our four inhabitants meant to produce and who owns the coop? In helping Mina though, Madeleine hasn’t found another subservient child to lead. Mina is more independent and intelligent than that. She’s also a watcher herself, used to being alone and observing others, she sketches people secretly when in public places. The coop is no exception, she gets the urge to capture different expressions and moods in her fellow prisoners, particularly drawn to the planes and contours of Madeleine’s face. Mina doesn’t want to contest Madeleine’s authority, but she will contribute ideas and challenge those she thinks are wrong. I wondered if this would upset the existing dynamic, start a power struggle inside, and raise the tension even further. I was fascinated by how these others had ended up here and what would happen when they start to run out of food or something else that pushes them outdoors. Is there any way of escaping? This author has created a brilliantly layered horror, with an ending that was truly unexpected and even more terrifying. I have just explained the story to my next door neighbour and she’s already closed the curtains tonight! This was incredible and even better is the fact that it’s my first A.M. Shine novel so I have a whole back catalogue to enjoy in the Christmas break.

This is the perfect October read! Its creepy and claustrophobic! I loved it.
Some brilliant twists and turns! I can't wait to read more from Shine!

3.5
It was such a well written spine chilling story. I definitely recommend this book. Different points of view added nuance to the story and the ending was awesome. Can't wait to read more from this author.

I enjoyed this book, very creepy and a great read just in time for Halloween. If you enjoy dark reads that scare the living daylights out of you then definitely give this a read!

Creepy locked room thriller.
A prison they all ran into to hide. A prison within a prison.
Power struggles and secrets. Just when you think everything is okay, it isn’t. It will be interesting to re-read it knowing one of its biggest secrets.

I found this book good, especially for the month of October. I thought it was very atmospheric and spooky. I thought the writing was okay, it has moments where it did not read as horror but contemporary.

I went back and forth on how to rate this debut novel, but ultimately decided to go with the full 4 stars.

I’ll start with the bad and say that the writing can get a bit too flowery at times- talking purple prose here. That’s not to say that Shine doesn’t write well; he certainly knows his way around a sentence. The writing could just be trimmed down some so as not to detract from the story… because the story is fantastic.

Some bloated writing aside, I loved this. I would go as far to describe this story as riveting. I finished it in just a few sittings as I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. This is one of those stories where every bit of information had me more invested and engaged with each revelation. From beginning to end, I was hooked. There were more than a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and I enjoyed every single one of them. The setting is spooky, the pacing is spot-on, and the ‘monsters’ are straight-up cool.

I don’t know that I have read anything quite like this before and I would certainly read more from the author in the future. The Kindle version is $2 on US Amazon store at the moment (10/31/21) so I would snap it up if I were you! It’s a perfect spooky read just in time for Halloween.

I recieved an e-arc of this from netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a stunning horror debut from an Irish author! This book was atmospheric, spooky and down right mind boggling at times. I have a fear of strangers and forests now 😭🤣

This book was devoured in one sitting and I had to put the book down and be like, I BETTER NOT BE READING THAT WHEN I START YOU AGAIN! A.M. Shine did a fantastic job of immersersing me into our characters and plot, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The ending was open ended which annoyed me because I wanted MORE 🤣🤣

Perfect horror with Irish Mythology that keeps you on the edge of your seat!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. This book is insane. Think of a mash up between bird box, lost, and a quiet place. Strangers are thrown together in such a unforgiving circumstance and are struggling to survive together. This unfortunately does bring out the worst sometimes in all or us. It is heartbreaking to read at times and I will be honest it started losing me towards the end but definitely grabbed me right back up. I can totally see this as a movie or tv series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you're looking for a creepy ass book for spooky season then The Watchers is one for you. Anyone who wanders into the forest finds themselves lost and as night falls they are surrounded by unearthly screams before they are killed. Mina ends up in the forest, lost and alone. She suddenly spots a woman urging her to get into a bunker with her before dusk, before The Watchers come! At night these creatures emerge from somewhere in the forest to watch their captives through a wall of glass, but why? Trapped in the bunker with strangers, Mina is desperate for answers and a way to escape.
I had no clue going in what or who The Watchers were. Evil humans? Aliens? Paranormal beings? But I sure as hell wanted to find out. I really like how the book started with some action before then starting the story of the protagonist, Mina. Obviously the characters are stuck inside one room and so the world they are in is very small with action at a minimum which would normally not be my thing but I loved the intense claustrophobic feel and the creepy vibes throughout. The tensions between the characters and their various personalities were written just right. I ended up rooting for each of the characters to survive and escape but for different reasons. The twist towards the end was fantastic and as usual I didn't even slightly guess what was gonna happen ha ha ha....
I looked forward to getting stuck back into this book and it was on my mind when I wasn't reading. Both signs of a great book so I really do recommend this one for horror fans.

I think this was too drawn out with long walls of text and no dialogue - something I struggle with. I like a health balance of both.

It was certainly creepy at times, but I would say I felt the ending to be anticlimactic for what had been building up.

It was well written over all with good prose, perhaps a bit too in-depth for my liking at times - but I think others would enjoy something like that depending on your preferences. I did enjoy the setting a lot.

‘All paths lead somewhere’

Mina had planned on making some easy money when she agreed to deliver a parrot to a collector in Connemara. Mina’s car breaking down in the middle of nowhere was not part of the plan. Neither was winding up in a “prison of concrete and glass” in the depths of the forest.

There Mina meets Madeline, Daniel and Ciara. But they’re not alone. They’re being watched.

“Nothing should have to live in captivity”

At various times, A Quiet Place and Peadar Ó Guilín’s The Call popped into my mind as I was reading but I don’t think it’s fair to make comparisons as this story is its own monster. Or should I say, it contains its own monsters.

The watchers were an ever present threat, made all the more creepy by the fact that I got to know them by their shrieks. The fear of the unknown is almost always scarier than fears you can identify. Not knowing what the watchers were or even what they looked like for much of the story added to my unease.

I wondered if this story would have packed more of a punch if it was a novella, but it was a quick, compulsive read. I had some trouble for the longest time trying to figure out why it was so difficult for the characters to escape the forest when they were able to make their way into its depths in the first place, but ultimately decided that I didn’t care. I was having too much fun flip flopping between hoping for a bloodbath and wanting everyone to survive. I’m keen to see what horrors the author will introduce me to next.

“Stay in the light”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Aries, an imprint of Head of Zeus, for the opportunity to read this book.

Firstly, if you don’t like books that just throw you into the story with little or no backstory, maybe this isn’t for you. I felt like this was a book that was missing some explanations.

It’s also a book of 2 halves. The first half is quite a slow burn, albeit you a thrown in. It’s a tense start to what is a strange horror-esque novel. It wasn’t scary or creepy it was just a wee bit odd.

I didn’t feel very engaged with the characters and they’re not particularly likeable. I felt there wasn’t much depth to them although the story was interesting and I did read to the end.

This is probably one for a movie adaption to bring out the creep and eerie-ness that isn’t as well conveyed in a novel.

This could have been excellent.......if it was cut by at least 125 pages.

Mina's car breaks down in the forest. Desperate for help, she walks until she finds three people in a bunker. But these people aren't there to help....oh no, these people are pets.

During the day, they are free to wander and look for an escape, but in the dark, they must hide from The Watchers. The Watchers - the horrible, stuff of nightmares.

It has the feel of a fairy tale - not the pleasant, wrapped in a bow kind, but the bloody, Grimm version. It's perfect for the Halloween season.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A concrete building in the middle of an uncharted forest is the unlikely home to a group of strangers... strangers who every night are watched by creatures unknown to them. They must live by their captors' rules, or suffer the consequences.

A horror set in Ireland? Inspired by Irish folklore? This was an immediate yes for me, and it thoroughly exceeded my expectations.
Think Maze Runner and Bird Box, but creepier. This is a real get-in-your-head and stay with you long after you finish kind of story. A really interesting concept and beautifully executed. This book honestly felt cinematic to read, I was immersed in the unknowns of the Irish countryside-amplified and terrifying.
The one aspect I might have changed is the rotating points' of view. I feel as though it would have benefited from being either entirely in Mina's POV or a more omniscient 3rd person narration if the aim was to give insight into other characters' state of minds. This, however, largely didn't take from my reading experience as the overall narrative was so immersive, except for the odd instance where it wasn't entirely clear whose POV it was meant to be.

Nonetheless, this was an entirely unique take on Irish folklore to create a chilling horror story, with a perfect ending to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

Unlike a lot of the reviews,I didnt find this book very creepy.
I did however find it very readable,and flew through it wanting to know what exactly was going on.
I enjoyed the writing,and there were a few things that made me go "oooh". There were a few times the tension was wound so tight.

The mix of characters and their interaction with each other was my favourite bits.

Enjoyable,and definitely one to recommend for a great read.

A claustrophobic horror adventure set in the remote unknown forests of Galway, where mysterious creatures keep humans as pets for observation, from debut Irish author A.M. Shine.

We are first introduced to our protagonist – Mina. She has been walking down a self-destructive path of drinking, smoking and ignoring her sisters’ calls. When her friend Peter offers her a job of delivering a parrot to a mate for money, she jumps at the chance to wander somewhere new. Little does she know she will soon live to regret her decision …

Mina drives through an eerie, ancient woodland when suddenly her car breaks down. She soon finds herself outside a concrete monstrosity of a building, being screamed at by strangers ushering her into ‘the coop’. Mina soon learns that mysterious, deadly creatures rule the woods called ‘The Watchers’ and if anyone is caught outside after dark, they are ripped to shreds.

Inside the coop are Ciara, whose husband is missing, Danny, a young lad and Madeline, the mother of the group. Inside the coop there is a light that comes on at night when the watchers begin the nightly prowl from their burrows. As long as they stay in the light – everything will be okay. But the glass separating them from the watchers won’t hold forever …

What are the watchers? Why do they watch? Who built the cement building and why? All of these mysteries are answered as the novel progresses. A.M. Shine masterfully builds up suspense and tension through the novels’ narrative arc. We are left with more questions with every chapter and consumed with a need to discover the answers. Even up until the last page we are kept in a perpetual state of suspense with twists and turns at every step. My favourite part was the injection of Irish folklore and the hints of mythology, woven into the concept behind the watchers and their ancient purpose. It is deliciously aligned with the true fairy tales of old with sinister endings and cruel plot twists. This book would fit nicely into the horror genre with its gore, level of fright and fear factor. For lovers of folklore, thrillers and page-turners this debut fits the bill.

An e-arc was gifted via NetGalley for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book and although so parts felt quite dragged out and maybe not necessary this story genuinely had me on the edge of my seat. The ending 😳

So, I loved the idea behind the novel, the opening, and the ending. I wasn't a fan of the overwritten middle, though. It could have been so much stronger if not for the writing leaning toward purplish and purplish writing never seats well with me.
That said, it's not that long so I can forgive overwritten parts.