This story is a perfect Halloween read. The cover really drew me in and I found the plot to be very well developed and engaging. The world building was interesting (I loved the folklore elements) and nicely added to the spooky atmosphere. I wish that there was more focus on the characters and their relationships, but I can appreciate the plot driven story!

3.5/5 stars, a nice short Halloween-coded read

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group & Viking Groups for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Initially, the cover for this book made me really intrigued, as it was a really unique cover from things I've seen lately. While I was not able to read this on netgalley before it expired, I am happy that I was able to read it and review it for this October. I think listening to the audiobook also elevated the story, as it made it a lot more obvious when the points of view were switched.

This really wasn't what I was expecting, but mostly in a good way. It really was a unique story, unlike anything I've ever read before, though it was also quite weird. While I didn't mind this there were also times that I had to suspend my disbelief when I wasn't expecting to, I thought this was more just horror. This is supposed to be that, but it was definitely more mystery-leaning for me like a fun and quick Halloween read.

Once again the plot was really unique, but I think overall the characters and everything were pretty well developed for a book of this length. They drove the plot forward very well even if it was a little fast and they were just a touch one-dimensional. This wasn't a problem though as it felt like it was supposed to be a short read, and I did still enjoy it for what it was!

[TW: kidnapping, missing persons, loss of family members, mental health discussions]

Solid book. Very unique plot and well written. The plot with the wolves is something I haven’t seen before and it was very enjoyable and I wouldn’t mind reading a sequel.

Thank you for letting me read this book. The cover is fantastic! It’s spooky and gives of fall vibes. I mean magical realism and folklore always make for a good combination in my book!

A fantastic atmospheric spooky read. The characters and their motivations and fears and flaws are all well fleshed out.

Fanya’s povs were really interesting and captured the perspective of someone who doesn’t understand anything “people” related really.

The folklore of the book was interesting but I do wish we’d gotten a better idea of the vila’s real world origins. Baba was mentioned at one point so I’m thinking they’re Russian or Eastern European based.

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

First thing first the cover is AMAZING!!! I loved it so much especially since I'm a sucker for shapeshifter books. I mean just look at the cover of the wolf with the human hand. This book is perfect for this spooky season!👻 I loved the fantasy, the mystery, and the suspense in the air. Everyone check this book out you won't regret it!

(Sorry for completely forgetting to upload this I meant to upload it sooner but when I originally meant to upload it the hurricane hit Florida so sorry again)

This is a small town contemporary thriller where children are being stolen and wolves are lurking in the forest. Picnic, Illinois is described as a place where you don’t need to lock your doors, not the kind of place where toddlers go missing. Luce, who saw a pair of eye in the forest behind their house the night Madison As she digs deeper about this disappearance, she discovers a secret about her town: the existence of magical-animal women who have remained hidden in shadows for centuries, have taken her cousin for their own purposes--and they have no intention of bringing her back. This was a great atmospheric read, perfect for fall, especially with the small town setting and secrets and mysteries uncovered. I enjoyed following the main character - I found her smart and level-headed. Her own growth was also enjoyable to read. I also think the exploration of family and community was well done, goes missing, starts to see patterns after reading an article about another girl who went missing in 1870.

I loved reading about the small town of Picnic and uncovering its secrets with the characters in this novel! I thought this was going to be a werewolf story going into it based on the cover alone, but I enjoyed learning about this new folklore.

Lund did a great job writing realistic teenagers. I could absolutely tell she had been a teacher herself with experience with middle and high school students. One of my YA pet peeves is when it’s obvious an author hasn’t talked to a teen since their own teen years. Not a problem here at all, though! And of course as a teacher myself I felt a kinship with oddball character Mr. Kriska, even if he was a bit misguided at times.

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Not what I imagined in my head but The Wolves are Watching was still an interesting story to read. I don't know why I went in thinking it was horror style but it wasn't, it's more paranormal mystery. Still a good read and the vibes to read in this fall maybe at night or a rainy day.

The Wolves Are Watching is wonderful - such a fun story, while not entirely unique in idea it did bring unique aspects of the story forward. The main character is strong and independent with her own unique aspects. The setting was entirely unique and fun with the forest and everything had an eerie creepy feeling to it.

Full of magic and spooky vibes, this was definitely a fun read.

This was such a fun story! I thought the shape shifters in the forest was such a unique spin on how stories like these go. I know this isn’t the first time a story like this has been told, but this felt so unique and original to me.

I really liked the main character and how independent she was. She also really loved her family. The setting was really cool too. I love anything with a forest setting, and I love how the houses felt so isolated. I thought the lore and the magic was explained really well and I was really satisfied with the reveal of everything.

This story felt so magical and full of suspense until the very end! I was really surprised how much I loved it.

THE WOLVES ARE WATCHING is a perfect spooky read! I don't read enough werewolf/shifter books in general and this is one that just checked all the boxes. Drawing upon elements of Slavic and Welsh folklores of vila and changelings, THE WOLVES ARE WATCHING was probably one of the most unique takes on werewolves I have ever seen. I mean, I know they are more fae than wolf but that's just the vibe I got. We also have some great small town secrets and mystery vibes as Luce delves into what happened to her cousin only to find a long history of disappearances, blood sacrifice, and deceit. This entire book has such a spooky atmosphere to it which was my favorite thing about it. It's just dark enough to be spooky but not quite horror, which I thought worked for the book's benefit. I also thought it was refreshing how it focused on younger teenagers and that the author didn't pander for older readers, and she didn't need to, because I was buckled into this book from the very start and could hardly put it down. I also thought that Fanya's perspective was really unique and interesting and made this book a lot more well-rounded in the end.

This was a decent book. Stolen children, a small town with secrets and creepy eyes watching from the woods. I really loved the folklore and the Vila. They are fascinating and made the story! I liked how the author changed the writing style to fit the Vila when they were talking but I did find the writing a bit harder to read when it switched. I enjoyed the mystery aspects of the story.

The characters were okay for me I felt that this story was more plot driven and not as focused on the characters. There was a bit of romance which was fine and decently written. Over all it was a nice atmospheric read perfect for fall when the nights get longer and the shadows get deeper. I wouldn’t say it was horror by any means and would recommend it if you enjoy strange paranormal mystery reads!

Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy the unique fantasy element of this story. Though shapeshifting isn't a new concept I thought it was handled really well. I liked the main character and I thought the writing was well done and well paced. I loved the mystery and I adored the spooky atmosphere. It was a perfect October read!

Okay but the vibes the cover gives makes you think that this could be different vibes wise, but this was super enjoyable and was the right way to kick off the Halloween season.

This was good! You know when you find yourself reading and loving the writing style, and then look up the author and connect the dots that you really liked their previous books. Well this was exactly what happened this time around. I found myself in a comfort read.

Now, this read is not comforting. But the style the story is presented is. It is atmospheric with folk lore vibes. Small town, feminist, strong female leads, and lots of myths. It isn't one sided, as we have a POV of one of the "villains" if you may.

So, what is this story about? It is about a girl determined to save her baby cousin from kidnapping. As she finds out, the kidnappers aren't your regular, sinister people - it's a mythological creature that can turn itself into wolf/owl/snake. The MC digs deeper into the lore and the story behind it, to find herself that this story has been buried and looked over as no one wants to deal with the reality.

I liked it, it had good spooky vibes, and I really liked Fanya's ARC. There's something about a girl figuring out there's more to the world than what she has been taught.

Check out the video I made for this book on TikTok @katherinebichler. Here is the link:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRubDbLE/

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4/5 STARS

This is a YA paranormal mystery/thriller perfect for the fall season. Set in Illinois, a few weeks before Halloween, Luce notices a pair of eyes in the woods outside her house. Then her baby cousin is kidnapped. The baby is returned, but Luce is convinced it isn’t really her. After she discovers the mysterious kidnappings are a pattern around Halloween, she finds out there is something paranormal going on in her town. Can she save her cousin before Halloween?

This was a fast paced spooky read. It was very creative and kept my interest throughout. It had a dash of fantasy too. I wanted a little more at the end to find out what happened to the other kidnapped girls, but maybe there will be a sequel!

I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the advance reader copy! 🐺🌕🖤

The Wolves are watching is an atmospheric novel, with overtones of mystery, thriller, and paranormal creatures, the story takes place 2 weeks before Halloween, so it's a good idea to read it in the fall.

The chapters are divided between Luce, a human teen, and Fanya, a supernatural creature.

Luce lives right on the edge of a forest, one night she sees yellow eyes shine, the next day her baby cousin disappears, to appear two days later, the problem, both the mother and Luce see something strange in the child and do not believe that she is the real Madison. Could she be a changeling?

The written style feels like magical realism, it's inspired by Slavic mythology.

Luce investigates the disappearance of her niece, there is a local legend of another disappearance centuries ago, but she finds more, every few decades, girls have disappeared, and when they appear the parents do not believe that they are their daughters. To search for answers, Luce will enter the forest and that is where she will run into Fanya.

Fanya is a Vila, a shape-shifting nymph, her usual form is a wolf but she can also transform into a bird, a snake, and a human.

It's a fast-read novel, it keeps you in suspense, Luce has to save her cousin before Halloween. Luce and Fanya are likable characters; Luce is brave and Fanya wants to understand humans and understand who she is.

The Wolves are Watching is a good and stable read and one that hit all the right marks in regard to its genre. The pacing was well done, and the characterization of Luce was seamless and I found I could easily connect to them.

The spooky theme makes this a great fall read and with the thriller aspects, each page feels like a still from a paranormal film. The various povs helped established the lore and the mysterious character of Fanya provided the magic that kept me reading till the end.

With the mystery of Madison's disappearance, there is an air of a crime thriller while also embracing the darkness of the unknown. Lund has crafted a well-thought-out story that embraces all of the genre elements of young adult paranormal fiction while also adding freshness to the overall notion of urban fantasy. This is definitely worth a read if you are looking for something a bit thrilling for the darker months.