I wanted to like this book as I was really drawn in by the premise and the cover but I just couldn’t get into it at all. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you NetGallery for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let's start with the good things, of which there are, unfortunately, very few:

The Setting.
The overall premise of this book is very intriguing -- a small town in the middle of nowhere that shares a border with a forest full of malevolent creatures? Count me in. I have always loved supernatural horror and loved stories about small desolate towns plagued with some sort of evil, there is just something so special about settings like that, and Whisperwood is a town that checks both those requirements.

Descriptions of the Whispers.
I found the Whispers (monsters) in this book rather imaginative and the descriptions of them have, though not always, helped me to picture them in detail. This is something that I always appreciate when it comes to creatures that are unique to the story and therefore the readers have no real point of reference when it comes to their looks. I especially enjoyed the Pricolici.

This, unfortunately, is where the good things about this bookend for me. I was very excited to read it when I requested an ARC, and I think that this is where the problems started -- it was promoted to me as "a must-read for fans of The Witcher", which is my favourite book series of all time, but there is absolutely nothing that resembles Sapkowski's world in this book. Many other books involve monsters from a different world, and The Witcher is not a good example to use in the promotion of Whisperwood. I hope the promotional team changes that, as I'm sure, I'm not the only one who will eventually feel misled. If anything, this book feels much closer to "For the Wolf" by Hannah Whitten, and I'm pretty sure that the author drew at the very least some inspiration from it.

Now, let's look at the cons of this book a little more closely:

Pacing.
This is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, flaws of this book. It just feels incredibly rushed and underworked. Everything happens way too fast, literally throughout a couple of days, and because of that, the story feels both overwhelming and empty, not to mention that people don't become the best of friends in about three hours. The pacing of this story, unfortunately, bothered me the entire time I was reading it, and because everything happened so quickly, I felt no attachement to any of the characters in this story.

Writing.
From the first chapter, I have found the writing style very dry and rushed. There are little to no descriptions in this story (other than the Whispers), and it's mostly built in an "I did this, and then I did then and also this other thing" manner, which only added to the problems with the pacing. There's also a lot of dialogue in this book, but it rarely comes with descriptions of the character's expressions, tone of voice or gestures.

Relationships.
As I have mentioned before, everything just happens way too fast. Anna meets the main cast of characters on her second (I believe) day, and 24 hours later, they are best friends. She even mentions that she might be falling for one of the other characters when they have spent a grand total of three to four hours together. This kept pulling me out of the story due to how unrealistic it is, and the reader doesn't have any time to make up their mind about one character or the next.

The main character just knows everything.
And once again, the pacing is making all other aspects of the story much worse than they could have been. Anna comes to Whisperwood knowing nothing, talks to a couple of people reads books for one night, and suddenly, she knows more than the people that have lived in the town all their lives. I understand that the plot needs to move somehow but if the author had only decided to make her stay last for at least a few weeks, it would've solved so many problems.

Main character's past and conflict.
This, to me, was probably the most useless part of the story. We are told from the beginning that Anna was deemed a witch by her ex husband or partner, and that he's tortured her, but why? her entire family turned away from her but why? Because he told them? That's one shitty family if you ask me. This plotline is only needed so that the author can justify Anna being a Walker, which requires dying and them coming back to life, but there are so, so many other ways to achieve that without the weird witch-hunting trials subplot. It irked me throughout the entire book.

The plot twist.
Finally, I had a huge problem with the plot twist. And the reason is very simple -- it's not hinted upon, not teased, it is said out loud by one of the characters and then confirmed a couple of chapters later. I feel like the author had more than enough freedom to drop hints about it before the actual reveal, and I'm severely disappointed that they didn't.

Overall, I in all honesty think this book isn't ready to be published yet. There is so much room for improvement, and what I've read feels like the first or maybe the second draft. I wish the author all the best in their career, and if they're reading this, I hope that they are not upset with my review, I've tried my best to lay out my thoughts in a constructive manner.

Once again, thank you to NetGallery, the publisher, and the author. These thoughts are completely my own and uninfluenced.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

I just want to say that the premise and cover really drew me to this book. Although it was a very slow start and I wasn't very intrigued with the dense writing style. I really wanted to like it. But I found it hard to. What did draw my attention were the whispers. I definitely wanted to know more about them!

Tapping out at 50%.
Things I liked - I was very curious about Whisperwood and what was going on, but even at 50% there's not much going on. The setting was ominous and I wanted to root for our MC.

Things I didn't like - 100% on me, but I didn't realize how much of this was a period piece and I reaaaallly struggle with old-timey dialogue which this contains in large amounts. And, as I said, with so much promise, I just wasn't hooked in.

The writing is solid and there's great potential here, just not the book for this reader.

This was a bit slow going for me, and while the premise was instantly intriguing, it took me ages to read through the novel. I couldn't fully connect with the main character or the world (though I understand that, at least when it comes to the world, that disconnection is fully intentional). I always felt at a remove.

*3.5 rounded down for GoodReads rating system*
Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Whisperwood" by Alex Woodroe was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the wood and the land. It helped to really build up this otherworldly and eerie tone to the whole Whisperwood. I thought it was such an interesting way to look at faery creatures and their domains. The main character was nice too because she wasn't THE ONE, she was just as lost as everyone else but I loved how determined she was to help. Her background was also pretty interesting.

I did find myself struggling a little bit with some of the dialogue. Sometimes I felt like characters would speak too modernly and then it would go back to the book's setting which seemed to be vaguely 17th century (not sure but there are mentions of the witch trials). I wasn't expecting straight middle English or anything but it just felt kind of anachronistic with all of the pagan traditions. Not a HUGE deal breaker, just something that bothered me.

That said, I really enjoyed this one. I kind of wished there was more gore if I'm being honest. The few scenes of blood spray were exciting and those were the scenes I wanted more of. I kind of didn't really care about the village people and got bored pretty quickly with them. They weren't poorly written or anything, I just felt the gory and scary scenes were more interesting and fun to read.

All in all, I'd recommend this!

I don't normally read fantasy but the blurb sounded interesting and I thought I'd give it a go.

Unfortunately it wasn't really for me. The writing itself is good but for some reason I could not get lost in this fantasy. The story itself is very descriptive of the land and it sounded beautiful but eerie. It is a dark fantasy and I think that people who enjoy this genre will really enjoy this.

Thank you to Alex Woodroe, Flametree Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I loved this book. In some ways it reminded me of the House of Hollow just because of the spooky, fairytale vibes. Once I had read a certain amount, I could not put it down. It was really fast paced and I loved every aspect of it. I really liked the main character, Anna, she had a very intriguing backstory which contributed to her ability to be a Walker. It was the little details like this that I thought were wonderful. I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this when it is released.
Part of me almost wishes the Author had made this into a trilogy rather than one book. There were some elements that moved a bit quickly for me such as the relationships between characters. I do feel like there was so much information that it could have been a duology or longer (although I am biased because I want to read more about this world). I think the world building would have been served well by having more books.
All in all, a top fantasy/horror novel that I definitely recommend.

Whisperwood by Alex Woodroe is equal parts enchanting and addictively scary. Mixing Romanian folklore and her naturally charming writing voice, Woodroe creates a fascinating world and weaves questions throughout its fabric to keep us hooked, curious, and ready for anything. She deftly takes the narrative from bright fun to dark danger then braids them together so we experience both as the story builds to its climax.
What a joy this book is!
Highly recommended.

Whisperwood by Alex Woodroe.

An entertaining and intriguing dark adult fable. This story introduces several interesting concepts, explores them in a creative fashion and is written using a unique style.

The story, which is a bundle of mysteries of sorts, concerns a protagonist on the run from an event and, as if often the case, themselves. They make their way to a town that shouldn't be, which is convenient for them, and endeavor to discover the whys and hows without becoming... deceased in the process. This is not a happy tale for wee tots. As our protagonist learns more about their locale, they too discover more about themselves.

Apologies for being vague. I don't want to give anything away. The less you know, the better. I disdain the majority of reviews I've experienced, which seem to believe that a review is nothing more than a spoiler-ridden abstract (or a blow-by-blow unofficial Cliff's Notes walkthrough).

Whisperwood is an enjoyable romp. Well, romp may not be the most appropriate word to use. That typed, I look forward to unspooling the next yarn Alex Woodroe elects to spin.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

#NetGalley

Wow! I can’t believe this was a debut novel.

It was fairly creepy, and really fascinating. The characters were Ok, Anna felt a bit static, and not as passionate as you’d expect about her journey. A majority of other characters weren’t as well developed as they could be.

The steam of the story kind of ran out towards the end, maybe a shorter story would’ve been more effective.

I’d like to see more folk horror from this writer in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & Flame Tree Press for a copy.

From killer opening line to spectacular finish, Whisperwood is a fantastic read through and through. Every page is filled with enough atmosphere that you’ll swear you can smell the trees and glimpse the Whispers just out of sight. I loved all of Anna, her painful past, her search for a place to belong, and above all, her desire to do right and believe in the best of humanity despite having seen the worst of it.

Whisperwood is a beautiful, layered story that’ll break your heart in the gentlest way. Perfect for those who, like me, adore folklore, forest settings, and stories that aren’t afraid to shine a light on the dark while caring for its readers. Highly, highly recommend picking up a copy when it’s out (July 11, FlameTree Press)!

Thank you to FlameTree for a free advanced review copy through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Whisperwood is a rollicking read for those who love a female-centered story with things that go bump in the night (or maybe the daytime). Anna is escaping from a terrible past (which is revealed in due time) and willing to stay in a town at the edge of a dark wood - a town with a bad reputation. As the trader who drops her off tells her, it's a place where people disappear. Soon she's enmeshed in the town's weird rituals and following spooky clues to try to figure out just what lives in the woods and why the townspeople keep spitting on themselves for luck. There's some clunky writing here and it does run a bit long but it's a good basic fantasy read. Don't get too attached to any of the characters though - they may not be around in the next chapter!

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!

I found this book ok. I wanted to like it more then I did. I had a hard time connecting to the characters. The main character Anna had so much going for her, I wanted her a little more "hardened" from her past experience but she was friendly and trusting right off that bat. Overall I would recommend if you like a dark fantasy that has a upper YA feel to it you probably enjoy this book and the creatures within.

Review Copy

2.5 stars rounded up

I had high hopes for WHISPERWOOD. It had a description that sounded intriguing; I liked the title... it really sounded like my type of story. But I just couldn't get going on it. I kept putting it down as it kept dragging. I finally gave up and DNF at 23%

This was a wonderful read--at turns heartwarming and horrifying. It's almost... slice-of-life folklore, dark and strange but also sweet, scratching that Stardew Valley itch (but make it spookier). In fact, in terms of vibe it also reminded me of the game Don't Starve (in which one has to find ways to live and, of course, feed oneself in a hostile, supernaturally curious environment. I got the same pleasure out of this book; there were curious creatures to meet, cultural norms to understand, and realistically situated villagers to get to know alongside protagonist Anna--each with their role to fill in Whisperwood, and their own concerns grown out of their place in the economy and lore of the place. One other comp I might make would be to Spirited Away--the language is that beautifully wrought, and the world that richly inhabited that it feels boundless. I wish I could befriend a Pricolici (self-preservation never was my strong suit), and also... I just thought the symbolism behind walking between the supernatural and the mundane worlds was perfect. And, true to the rest of the story, there is an aspect of that perfection which made me shudder, while a different exploration of it made me take heart. I'm so glad I read this.

A mix of fantasy, action and some horror thrown into the mix. A female lead with plenty of twists and turns. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Anna, a girl who has seen tragedy, betrayal, and lost is haunted by a vision she had while she was dying. She runs away to a town known as Whisperwood and despite the rumors that the town is evil, decides to stay.

The first night staying there, however, she starts noticing the evil. She hears footsteps and even gets chased by something invisible. She gets told that what she was chased by were called Whispers, and the town acts as currents meaning the Whispers come in tides. Sometimes they're there, other times they're not. The town is living in constant fear.

Anna, Paul, and Perdy want to fix this and do everything in their power to stop the Whispers from killing more people. The only issue is the forest is far more dangerous than they thought.

I liked this book and the plot. I loved the analogy surrounding the lighthouse with the tides. I thought that this was a really cool addition. This book wasn't in any way too scary, in my opinion. It seemed more like a thriller than a horror book.

I do, however, wish that we got to know the characters a little more closely. This would help get the reader into the book a bit more. The characters were introduced, but on only a minimal level. By giving the characters more loving attributes you could get the reader more enticed in the character so if they die, there's more emotion.

Thank you NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for the e-ARC!
Whisperwood by Alex Woodroe is a fantastic book and I had such a fun time reading it! Before going into more details I do want to make a disclaimer: although it's marketed as horror I'd say it's more of a dark fantasy. There are horror elements but more subdued than other folk / woodland horror books. Nonetheless if you're into this subgenre you'll enjoy this one!
The story follows Anna, a woman running away from a violent ex in an unspecified country at an unspecified time (my guess is somewhere in eastern Europe during the late 19th century), who decides to stop by a village that's not in any map and where nobody goes to nor comes from. Strange things start happening the moment she sets foot in its cobbled streets, and it only grows stranger with each page.
Structurally the story has a slower first half, in which we follow Anna around and get to know some of the villagers, and a faster paced second part as the mistery unravels. I won't get into more details as not to spoil a major plot point, but Woodroe's descriptions are spectacular and convey perfectly the strangeness of some scenarios.
The ending did feel somewhat lackluster, but considering the book as a whole I'd say if you're on the fence the answer is YES, READ IT.