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mweir710's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/4 starts: I really wanted to like this book, and I did, but it took me a bit to get into the groove of the story being told. To be completely honest, I've just started reading horror-based books, so it's entirely possible that this theme isn't for me as a reader.
Woodroe's story follows our main character, Anna, who is pretty relatable overall. She's a woman escaping from a traumatic past by entering a small, unknown town. She cannot for the life of her say no to anyone, which is the nice-girl personality trait that can become annoying over time. Anna builds relationships with some of the townsfolk, and becomes the scapegoat for others, all while exploring superstitions and folklore. This town seems very different from others, having another world bordering on their town...creepy!
What I liked about this book: Woodroe is downright creative! The world that is created is imaginative and unique and definitely keeps the reader guessing. I also like that Woodroe went through the process of describing her creations so that the reader could build a good picture in their mind while pulling together the various pieces. The pacing seemed a tad fast at the beginning, but the action sequences pulled me in and spit me out just to pull me in all over again. I was rooting for characters that I didn't know much about and read quickly through the heart-pounding events that Woodroe presents throughout Whisperwood.
What I didn't like as much: There are sometimes too many characters to know, which limited my ability to connect with them. The communication was short and felt a bit shallow or childish at times, which had me leaning toward action sequences in which no one talked. Woodroe uses dialogue to build a better picture of Whisperwood and its inhabitants, but it felt choppy overall. The friendships felt like insta-friendships, which is not bad and likely makes sense with the trauma this town constantly endures; however, it felt too fast for me to really get to know anyone deeply outside of our main character. Some of the comparisons felt really outlandish to me, comparing an experience to a cow telling time...what? They just didn't land for me as a reader.
Overall, Whisperwood was an enjoyable read for me and a good way for me to start dipping my toes into other genres. I appreciate and thank Alex Woodroe, Flametree Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Woodroe's story follows our main character, Anna, who is pretty relatable overall. She's a woman escaping from a traumatic past by entering a small, unknown town. She cannot for the life of her say no to anyone, which is the nice-girl personality trait that can become annoying over time. Anna builds relationships with some of the townsfolk, and becomes the scapegoat for others, all while exploring superstitions and folklore. This town seems very different from others, having another world bordering on their town...creepy!
What I liked about this book: Woodroe is downright creative! The world that is created is imaginative and unique and definitely keeps the reader guessing. I also like that Woodroe went through the process of describing her creations so that the reader could build a good picture in their mind while pulling together the various pieces. The pacing seemed a tad fast at the beginning, but the action sequences pulled me in and spit me out just to pull me in all over again. I was rooting for characters that I didn't know much about and read quickly through the heart-pounding events that Woodroe presents throughout Whisperwood.
What I didn't like as much: There are sometimes too many characters to know, which limited my ability to connect with them. The communication was short and felt a bit shallow or childish at times, which had me leaning toward action sequences in which no one talked. Woodroe uses dialogue to build a better picture of Whisperwood and its inhabitants, but it felt choppy overall. The friendships felt like insta-friendships, which is not bad and likely makes sense with the trauma this town constantly endures; however, it felt too fast for me to really get to know anyone deeply outside of our main character. Some of the comparisons felt really outlandish to me, comparing an experience to a cow telling time...what? They just didn't land for me as a reader.
Overall, Whisperwood was an enjoyable read for me and a good way for me to start dipping my toes into other genres. I appreciate and thank Alex Woodroe, Flametree Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
micahcastle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
beeah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
destinied's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, War, Xenophobia, and Violence
sammileighm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
nerdmuffin's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading The Whisperwood. I especially appreciated that Anna was just a normal person; there was no chosen one trope or super power in sight. I often found myself as frustrated as Anna with not having any information or knowledge, and I'm honestly not sure if that added to or detracted from the reading experience, but it was certainly effective in keeping me turning those pages. I don't often find stories with female main characters that don't eventually devolve into a love story and a knight to the rescue scenario, so it's always great to find one. I found the Unspoken and it's inhabitants fascinating, and I would definitely read other books about it.
harborwriter's review against another edition
4.0
Escaping an abusive past, Anna flees to a town named Whisperwood--only to learn it's plagued by otherworldly monsters and she can't leave.
This was an interesting little read--sitting somewhere between folk tale and otherworldly horror. I loved the variety of supernatural beings and enjoyed how the plot wove in and out between worlds.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This was an interesting little read--sitting somewhere between folk tale and otherworldly horror. I loved the variety of supernatural beings and enjoyed how the plot wove in and out between worlds.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
juliriganti's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book!
I found it really hard to get into this book and I thought about dropping it a few times.
The first pages were AMAZING but then I got to 15% and I was not invested in the story and didn't find Anna's storytelling interesting or passionate enough to care. I'm very happy I kept going though, because this was very creepy and dark and just what I hoped it would be. The horror elements were good, and the world-building is great, Whisperwood was a very interesting place from the first few words, but I couldn't understand why Anna wanted to fit in that place when everyone is so unfriendly.
The thing I loved the most about the book was the descriptions of creatures. At first, it felt a little boring a dense but once I got into the story it was just amazing to read. Once I finished the book I fell down a rabbit hole of stories. The thing I liked the least was the amount of dialogue. Learning everything about the characters and the world through dialogue got annoying very fast and maybe that's a me thing and other people don't find it that way, but it made it very hard to keep going.
I was surprised when I saw the book is only a bit more than 300 pages long because it felt much much longer than that. The scary parts are actually scary and I was very happy about that, but in the first 75% of the book there aren't many of those. The last 25% though, that was VERY good and I loved it. A great ending.
This is a very good debut novel by a writer with a lot of potential, and I'm really excited about what comes next for Alex Woodroe.
I found it really hard to get into this book and I thought about dropping it a few times.
The first pages were AMAZING but then I got to 15% and I was not invested in the story and didn't find Anna's storytelling interesting or passionate enough to care. I'm very happy I kept going though, because this was very creepy and dark and just what I hoped it would be. The horror elements were good, and the world-building is great, Whisperwood was a very interesting place from the first few words, but I couldn't understand why Anna wanted to fit in that place when everyone is so unfriendly.
The thing I loved the most about the book was the descriptions of creatures. At first, it felt a little boring a dense but once I got into the story it was just amazing to read. Once I finished the book I fell down a rabbit hole of stories. The thing I liked the least was the amount of dialogue. Learning everything about the characters and the world through dialogue got annoying very fast and maybe that's a me thing and other people don't find it that way, but it made it very hard to keep going.
I was surprised when I saw the book is only a bit more than 300 pages long because it felt much much longer than that. The scary parts are actually scary and I was very happy about that, but in the first 75% of the book there aren't many of those. The last 25% though, that was VERY good and I loved it. A great ending.
This is a very good debut novel by a writer with a lot of potential, and I'm really excited about what comes next for Alex Woodroe.
booksbybindu's review against another edition
5.0
‘Whisperwood’ is a dark fantasy that is full of ungodly tension, peppered with characters and a tale that is as old as time itself. This is a debut novel but didn't read like one, it was well structured and the writing was superb. I will definitely be looking out for more of her work!
Anna is on a journey of escape and she just needs to hide and be given a stroke of luck. When she hears about the town of Whisperwood, a town which isn't shown on maps she thinks it is the perfect place to hide from her witch-hunting ex. But not everything is peaceful in Whisperwood. A vanishing town, a strange funeral rite, an emergency surgery - there are things you can't explain. Prevented from leaving by folk magic, Anna gives a helping hand but the woods nearby are whispering and Anna can't help but be drawn to them…
I love folk tales and although this book takes them from Romanian influences there were still a lot of reference points that I found were present. Maybe I have just watched too much Supernatural! I loved this book. It drew me in quickly and easily created this complete and thriving world. This isn't an easy thing to do in fantasy as it is inherent that things should feel alien and weird. It was filled with frightening creatures, packed full of action and the tension was just spot on. It is a fantastic piece of dark fantasy and I wish that there was more of it to read! I would read anything that involved Anna and Perdy. Hopefully, the author will revisit this world at some point.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
Anna is on a journey of escape and she just needs to hide and be given a stroke of luck. When she hears about the town of Whisperwood, a town which isn't shown on maps she thinks it is the perfect place to hide from her witch-hunting ex. But not everything is peaceful in Whisperwood. A vanishing town, a strange funeral rite, an emergency surgery - there are things you can't explain. Prevented from leaving by folk magic, Anna gives a helping hand but the woods nearby are whispering and Anna can't help but be drawn to them…
I love folk tales and although this book takes them from Romanian influences there were still a lot of reference points that I found were present. Maybe I have just watched too much Supernatural! I loved this book. It drew me in quickly and easily created this complete and thriving world. This isn't an easy thing to do in fantasy as it is inherent that things should feel alien and weird. It was filled with frightening creatures, packed full of action and the tension was just spot on. It is a fantastic piece of dark fantasy and I wish that there was more of it to read! I would read anything that involved Anna and Perdy. Hopefully, the author will revisit this world at some point.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
theablibrary's review against another edition
5.0
A gripping and imaginative tale of magic and survival. Woodroe creates a vivid and eerie world of wonder and horror. I couldn’t put it down! This book gave me Witcher vibes!