Everyone knows a kid like Charlie Crabtree. The weird outsider who always seems to know a little too much; The dark imagination and cool charisma that draws in strays who are eager for attention. The kind of kid that you know will just be… trouble . When Charlie and his friend ritualistically murder a fellow classmate, no one is surprised. Less so when Charlie mysteriously goes missing. 25 years later, the stain of that horrific event linger on the town of Gritton Wood and on Paul Adams, our central protagonist. Now Paul is back in Gritton Wood to care after his elderly mother and it appears Charlie (or at least the memory of Charlie) is back too.
I didn’t really know what to expect going into this story – other than the synopsis and that Alex North’s debut The Whisper Man was a best seller. Traditionally, I don’t love crime drama thriller novels (even though, that’s almost exclusively what I read). Typically they’re predictable and just poorly written. The Shadows is neither of those things. I had no idea what was going on until the end of the story, which I genuinely appreciated. I don’t like when I can clearly guess what’s happening in a narrative and this kept me on my toes.
It's also extremely creepy. The descriptions of the crime scenes and of the dream journals were truly horrifying and made me feel uneasy in a way that I can’t explain. There is an overarching sinisterness threaded throughout the story that refuses to break hold. As you’re reading, you feel as if someone is looming over you (which is just amplified by the narration). The use of dual timelines, specifically with the lucid dreaming thread throughout the “past” was well executed and gave unexpected breadth in a relatively short book.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this story and can easily see myself picking up more of North’s work. Some of the few flaws I had were:
1. I think there were entirely too many characters. Between the characters, the side story, and the lucid dreams, I had a little bit of trouble distinguishing between characters.
2. I think the “twist” was almost *too* out there. I didn’t expect it or see it coming at all (which I guess is the point), but it felt a little one sided and not entirely fleshed out.
3. I left with WAY more questions than I started with.
4. I wanted more of a resolution with Charlie. I don’t accept the ending I was given and frankly, just didn’t make sense.
5. I didn’t love the narrators, especially the one for Amanda. Maybe it was just a glitch with the new NetGalley Audiobook system, but the narration was almost robotic and a little difficult to understand, especially if I had it up to my normal listening speed of 2x. I put it down to 1.75 for most of it but in sections, I had to drop it as low as 1.25 because there was too much of a background hum.
Overall, very enjoyable and creepy and would recommend to anyone who’s interested in a quick, campfire-esque story.
I didn’t really know what to expect going into this story – other than the synopsis and that Alex North’s debut The Whisper Man was a best seller. Traditionally, I don’t love crime drama thriller novels (even though, that’s almost exclusively what I read). Typically they’re predictable and just poorly written. The Shadows is neither of those things. I had no idea what was going on until the end of the story, which I genuinely appreciated. I don’t like when I can clearly guess what’s happening in a narrative and this kept me on my toes.
It's also extremely creepy. The descriptions of the crime scenes and of the dream journals were truly horrifying and made me feel uneasy in a way that I can’t explain. There is an overarching sinisterness threaded throughout the story that refuses to break hold. As you’re reading, you feel as if someone is looming over you (which is just amplified by the narration). The use of dual timelines, specifically with the lucid dreaming thread throughout the “past” was well executed and gave unexpected breadth in a relatively short book.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this story and can easily see myself picking up more of North’s work. Some of the few flaws I had were:
1. I think there were entirely too many characters. Between the characters, the side story, and the lucid dreams, I had a little bit of trouble distinguishing between characters.
2. I think the “twist” was almost *too* out there. I didn’t expect it or see it coming at all (which I guess is the point), but it felt a little one sided and not entirely fleshed out.
3. I left with WAY more questions than I started with.
4. I wanted more of a resolution with Charlie. I don’t accept the ending I was given and frankly, just didn’t make sense.
5. I didn’t love the narrators, especially the one for Amanda. Maybe it was just a glitch with the new NetGalley Audiobook system, but the narration was almost robotic and a little difficult to understand, especially if I had it up to my normal listening speed of 2x. I put it down to 1.75 for most of it but in sections, I had to drop it as low as 1.25 because there was too much of a background hum.
Overall, very enjoyable and creepy and would recommend to anyone who’s interested in a quick, campfire-esque story.