The Shadows

Alex North has brought back the terrifying energy of the Whisper Man in his new book, The Shadows. Twenty-five years ago, a case shook the small village of Gritten, and Paul and his friends were never the same. This book looks at the dangers of lucid dreaming, teens with esoteric curiosities, and ritualistic murder. Yeah, you heard that last one right, ritualistic murder.

In The Shadows, Detective Amanda from Featherbank (where our creepy Whisper Man resided) is working a case with ritualistic themes and traces it back to none other than Charlie Crabtree- the boy who went missing in the case from Gritten. The book is written in different narratives, as well as from both the past and the present. We watch as Paul returns from a town he never wanted to come back to, and because of this, process the events from his childhood.

North’s ability to make you distrust almost everyone, including the narrator themselves, without outright disliking a character is incredible. You never know who did it, or if it was the supernatural, or all of the above. This story had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Macmillan and Netgalley gave me the audiobook for an honest review, which I will now be addressing the audiobook portion of the story. I enjoyed the reading of this and both of the narrators. I will say, Netgalley’s audiobook player is pretty terrible, and I’m hoping that with time they make some improvements to it. This did take away from my listening enjoyment. That aside, the readers do a fantastic job of keeping you intrigued in the story, and are well-spoken.

Overall, this book was a 5/5 star read for me. I can’t wait to own a physical copy of it for my own library.

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