This book has atmospheric and amazing prose. If that is something you like I'm your fantasy then I highly encourage checking it out. If you prefer fast pace word action this book is not for you.

It is poetic and lyric. The lush story follows along in a way that is not quite what you expect but think of Renee Ahdieh and Roshani Chokshi in terms of prose.

If you lived those voices you will enjoy this one. The story moves in a way that makes you feel like you're dancing and the dance changes throughout. I think the author achieved the atmosphere of the story well, but In a way that could be off putting to others.

It started out all gothicy and atmospheric, but there was something simply off about the pacing and the writing itself that I couldn't continue on. And maybe if I had actually bought the book I would force myself to finish it, but since I have so many ARCS to devour, I can't spend time reading a book that I didn't feel sucked into the story after three chapters.

This follows two perspectives. One is the witch in the woods. This witch has lived alone forever in the woods with her fox friends. Her sole purpose is to grant wishes to children that enter the woods. One day, a mysterious thing happens and somebody stays to tell her a story. On the flip side, we are following Rhea who lives by the beach with her family. She is known to have night terrors and hallucinations. She has seen multiple psychiatrists and is on medication. She continues to see a forest, when it is not there. She continues to see a being, when he is not there to anyone else. And slowly, her family starts disappearing. Is Rhea losing her mind? Is there a forest? Is there a witch? Will their paths collide?

Okay, let me begin by saying that this book has a lot of prose in it. And it is highly confusing to keep up with what is going on. Virtually, it’s a fairy tale. If you like fairy tales, by all means read this book. I just found it highly confusing. There were too many characters, and I couldn’t keep up with who was who. So, I didn’t like the writing style at all. I thought about DNFing this book majority of the time I was reading it. I didn’t do this because I have a problem with wanting to know what happens in the end. Since this book wasn’t out yet by the time I read it there were no spoilery reviews or recaps. So I soldiered on with the hopes that this would get better, but it only got more confusing as time went on. The idea was great, but it was poorly executed. The author was trying to overdue with too much imagery, etc.

I gave 2 stars overall because the idea was great. The writing style was just bad. Overall, I would not recommend this book.

As I've seen others mention, the writing in here is beautiful. Poetic with a touch of whimsy. However, it is also slow and a little difficult to follow. I'm someone who needs fast-pace and action with their fantasy (The Hobbit bored me to tears).

Going into this book, I was excited about the idea of witches and the dark forest leaving secrets for the characters to try and tangle through. There are creepy, fairytale-like elements that completely intrigued me from the start.

But as I kept reading on, my interest started to waver. There are two perspectives that slowly converge to make the book come together, but I was more captivated towards the fantasy world while leaving the other perspective in the dust. 

There were parts of the plot that I wanted to have explored more, and a few that I felt were flat and more on the uneventful side. The writing style wasn't a huge selling point for me on this book, but overall, I did enjoy the overall story. 

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. If you like the darker, creepy side of fantasy, this book could be interesting to some readers, but for me, I just wasn't completely sold.

This book was one of my most anticipated releases of this year, and I was super excited to read it, so I went with very high expectations, that unfortunately for me, weren't fulfilled after finishing the novel.

I think that this book had such a cool and interesting concept but a very poor execution. The problem that I had with The Waking Forest was that there were a lot of things happening at once, and none of them were really explored or detailed that it was so underwhelming for me to read. I really enjoyed the parts where we got to know more about the witch of the forest, but again, they weren't very well done, and it only made the story less engaging and me disconnect more with it.

The writing was pretty lineal, and the magic system or world building weren't really explored nor addressed, and it seemed more as if you're thrown into this magical world expecting to know what was going on, and that was super confusing. Also the way these three storylines connected was so forced and confusing, because throughout the entire book it felt more as three different plots.

Overall, though The Waking Forest had a very interesting and unique concept, the characters were pretty flat and had no discernible personalities, and the plot needed a lot of work for it to have more sense.

Title: The Waking Forest
Author: Alyssa Wees (Debut book)
Release Date: March 12, 2019
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Series?: Stand alone
LGBTQ?: Unclear
People of Color?: Unclear (fantasy worlds)
Bechdel Test: Yes!
Trigger Warnings: None

I received The Waking Forest as an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic YA fantasy with a fairy tale vibe (maybe some Snow White remnants?) as well as a fae world with witch wishes, sphinxes, and more. The women are strong and fantastic characters that I adored. The Princess does not wait to be rescued, but she does have a great family and strong squad by her side. It's a fun story where one never quite knows what is real and what is imagined - both are quite extraordinary. I also thought the concept of the double heart was the most beautiful and perfect way to describe the extra sense of magic that some are born with. The world itself can be very cruel and Wees did a fantastic job describing it and making the reader feel the urgency of the heroine's problems. There was also the beautiful moral of how families come in all shapes and sizes. It can include those whose blood you share but can also be chosen. The way the world is woven together feels like magic! Alyssa Wees is a master writer and I look forward to all her future works!

It reminds me of Hazel Wood, a novel-length version of Language of Thorns, or the Fairies of Dreamdark.

I would recommend it for lovers of fairy tales, fae worlds, and fantasy as well as fantasy in general. I would recommend this for all ages.

"I sort of do know what she means, sitting here in the semi-dark and the semi-silence. I have a scratchy, restless feeling, as if my soul were grinding against my skin, my bones, not necessarily wanting to get out but urging my body to go to impossible places, convinced I can touch the stars and not burn."

The Waking Forest is a story that is a true journey. I wasn’t EXACTLY sure what to expect going into it, and I was almost halfway through before I was even sure what the heck I was reading! Perhaps not the most stellar start for a debut novel, BUT. Bear with me – and bear with the book, too. While I did only rate it at 3.5/5 stars, I also feel it is totally a book worth reading and I will gladly be reading the next novel that Alyssa Wees comes out with.

The first half of the book is told in alternating chapters between Rhea, in our modern world, and the Witch of the Wood, in a very odd dream-like world. I was SO confused as to what was supposed to be happening in these…but the writing is beautiful. If you are not into heavy descriptions and very sustained metaphors, you might not enjoy it. It’s a very different style from what I’ve been reading recently, so it took a little while for it to grow on me. But grow on me it did, and eventually the prose (which could, admittedly, be considered kind of “purple” prose) was just painting these amazing pictures…so even if I was turned around and had no idea where the story was going, I was just enjoying the journey.

Eventually the two tales merge, and that is rather…mind-bending. There is enough foreshadowing that you sort of see it coming, but not…not…in the way it played out, or at least I didn’t. The story shifts to an entirely fantasy world, with incredible creatures and magic. I really wish the magic had been better explained! I was still kind of confused by how everything worked in the end, but it was glorious and shiny and I liked it.

My absolute favorite part was Rhea’s relationship with her sisters. These four girls are kicking ass and taking names and making no apologies – and dealing with their own issues along the way. There is some beautiful encouragement for those of us who struggle with anxiety in these pages – and the characters aren’t considered less than or incapable because of it! I loved it. Absolutely loved it.

Overall, The Waking Forest isn’t perfect but if you like fantasy and quirky characters, definitely give it a try. And keep an eye out for more books by Wees!

After 40% I had to DNF this book. I guess I could have forced myself to keep reading but I should at least like a book this far into it. As I read it though, I was eager for it to be over.

There isn't technically anything wrong with this. The premise is interesting and I'm frustrated because I feel like I should at the very least be liking this book if not enjoying it. But comparisons like skulls to clouds is a little much for me. I found this book a tad hard to follow in some places as well. Honestly, this book is kind of weird which isn't necessarily bad, but it's not the kind of weird that I personally find appealing.

Look, this book isn't bad by any means but it kind of fell flat for me. If it sounds good to you, then I say give it a try.

“The Waking Forest” by Alyssa Wees was not entirely what I was expecting. I absolutely love fairy tales and when I read the synopsis, I was immediately drawn in! What I liked about this book was how beautifully it was written. With that being said, I love books that have alternating point of views but for some reason, at times it felt like the two alternating points of views in this story were not a part of the same book. It was hard to follow, especially after the two stories come together. The pacing was a bit slow at times. Overall, I liked about the first half of this book but then it fell flat to me, which is unfortunate.

* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I received this arc in exchange for my honest review. I loved this book! The story is great and kept me hooked from the first page. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this book!

The author had a good idea of weaving dreamworld, reality, and a dream within a dream, but unfortunately for me it fell a bit flat. Everything took too long to ramp up, and the last quarter of the book felt rushed. The romance wasn’t really developed. 3 stars for an original idea for a story line.

I enjoyed this one. I did. I just really struggled to get into it. It was really slow to start, and I felt like it didn't really pick up until the last third or so. However, it was really creepy and horror-esque from the start, which kept me reading despite the slowness.

I liked Rhea well enough. She wasn't too relatable, which made it hard for me to really care about her, but I liked the character development she went through. I liked her much more by the end of the book than I did to begin with.

The world-building was a highlight. It was well-done, and the world was so unique and original and just surprising, and it kept me reading even though it was really slow. And okay, the biggest plot twist wasn't all that surprising, but there were plenty other surprising twists, so that's okay.

The plot was slow, which made it really difficult to get into. It picked up around the last third of the book, though. I really loved the general mood of the book, though. I'm not a big fan of horror, so when I first started reading and felt it was really close to a horror story, K was hesitant, but it wasn't too much. It was really creepy, and it fit the book so well.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was slow and hard to get into, but I loved the creepy mood and I liked the characters well enough.

I love trying creepy woods books.. This one has a creepy woods and a witch. It sounded like a really great combination. I loved how the story was woven together and how everything ended up.

The waking forest is one of those novels that produces an eerie yet captivating reaction on every page. I expected the writing to be beautiful, which it was, yet I also wanted to be wowed, which I was. This book read just like a nightmarish fairytale, and I loved that.

The way Wees brings the characters to life is mesmerizing. I loved how it was told from two point of views: Rhea and the Witch. Rhea sees a forest that keeps appearing and disappearing behind her house; she’s plagued by mysterious nightmares and when she thinks she’s losing her mind, a boy that blends with shadows confronts her, saying he will tell her all the forest’s secrets if she will play a game. Then there’s the Witch, who grants children’s’ wishes who dream about her. Yet, she lives the same life style, until two children come to her and one surprises her by asking her what she would wish for. Both characters’ personalities bring so much to this story; they work wonderfully with the storyline. And it isn’t just the characters that make this bewitching story alluring: it’s also the way the story is written.

The writing is some of the most beautiful writing I’ve read in YA this year. The author has a way of bringing the world and characters to life. The world was so vividly described through gorgeous prose that it was one of the reasons why this book was hard to put down. Wees has a way with words and knows how to make a fairytale feel real. The way the forest is described makes it enchanting, yet harsh, and combining both of those together with her writing made for some beautiful scenes. I was truly blown away with the writing and enthralling storyline.

With vivid storytelling and a captivating setting, The Waking Forest will be a book that will surprise you and make you believe in those bedtime fairytales you wished were real (or maybe not so real). I can’t wait to see what Alyssa Wees writes next!

This book was….interesting. It seems that all the ARCs I’ve read this year-minus Romanov-has been a hot mess (with ratings less than 4 stars.) Romanov was the only ARC I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this year, and would recommend.

So, this was hard to keep up with. And it was yet another ARC I was very close to DNF’ing. But I didn’t only because a small part of me wanted to push through and see how Alyssa Wees would end it. Plus, after DNF’ing one ARC this year, I didn’t want to put down yet another so close to the last DNF.

Despite my rating, I’m still impressed with Wees ability to craft this story and string it the way that she did. I think I would be interested in picking up her next book (and hope that it’s better than this one….) So, in all actuality, I didn’t hate the book. But I also didn’t love it.

So, for like most of the book, POVs switch between Rhea and a character called the Witch in the Woods. For awhile, it seemed redundant, almost like it had nothing to do with the story, but because I carried on, it finally made sense at like the 75% mark.

I think that once the two different POVs finally came together is where I grew confused and the story just sort of fell apart. I mean, obviously Wees has this great plot/concept, and it had intentional. But I wish it was executed a little bit better.

This book follows one girl who has like three-maybe four, idk it was hard to keep up with-sisters; and their names all started with the same first letter, R. Which was super annoying. It was enough to mix up the girls. I hate it when authors do that. Also, I didn’t realize this was a love story (between family [which was obvious,] and a romantic interest [which wasn’t obvious.])

Also, what lacked besides the execution was that the characters were meh for me. I couldn’t connect to them at all.

I think I enjoyed the first half of this book more, and I somewhat enjoyed the ending, at least between Rhea and the Darkness.

There was some anxiety rep, but I thought it felt sort of forced. It came out of nowhere towards the end for one of the sisters. I say this because I never noticed any of the sisters suffering from anxiety until it suddenly came up.

*Characters*

So, our MC, Rhea-I remembered that much-has these “visions,” which are basically dreams according to the rest of her family. With these visions of hers, it was difficult to keep reality and fantasy straight. I think she’s a sleepwalker. I think her interaction with, like, the only boy in the book, also known as the Darkness, was interesting.

It’s all very confusing.

Back to the Witch, basically her part of the story is that she grants wishes to little kids who visit her in dreams. Back to the dreams.

But for the most part, she’s seen talking to a fox who is unlike the rest of her other pet foxes. Like I said, confusing, haha!

There’s a slew of other characters, but tbh I didn’t find them all that important to talk about.

*Content and Trigger Warning*

➽Slavery/Oppression

➽Loss of a Loved One

➽Anxiety

➽Theme of Darkness

I’m positive there’s more, but these are the only triggers that I could think of at the moment.

So, would I recommend? Sadly, no. But, hey, don’t let me stop you from picking up this book! It wasn’t for me, but maybe, just maybe it is perfect for you!

Thank you so much to the publisher for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Waking Forest is an impressive young adult fantasy debut by Alyssa Wees.

From the description:

"The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She’s desperate to know more—until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.

To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes."

So this book really had a lot of potential, but the literal amount of over the top prose kind of ruined the pacing and content for me. To be sure, this was still a great read, but my speed reading tendencies didn't mix with the amount of time it took to digest a lot of the passages.

Rhea and her family of R named sisters have a great relationship to read about, and I thought that was a nice change from the typical fantasy novels where one or both parents are either dead, gone, abusive, or what not else. The anxiety and ptsd support system fhe family had built among themselves might be encouraging to some young readwers as well.

I did like the witch's story more than Rhea's. I can't so much relate to a happy family but the witch was super interesting. So was the boy made of darkness, there are definitely a few gems here. Once the stories intertwined in the second half of the book, it got a little more confusing. I did like the second half more as a whole though as it read more like a typical fantasy read, and I was able to read it a little faster.

I think those that like dark, brooding, slow moving traditional type fairy tales could enjoy this book a lot. It won't be for everyone.

The Waking Forest is such an intriguing story. It has that eerie fairytale quality to it that once you pick it up and start reading. It’s hard to stop.

We start off with two different worlds that we are seeing into. Rhea’s world, with her house and family by the beach. Then there is the Witch of Wishes, with her palace of bone in the Woods and foxes that dance. We alternate between these two realities and learn more about each character. We later add in a third perspective in the form a story that someone tells the witch.There are many layers, kind of like photoshop document. At least that is how my brain thinks of it.

I really liked Rhea and her sisters. She is plagued and haunted by visions of things that are not real. Scary visions of people dying or missing parts of flesh and Woods that magically appear and disappear when she tries to enter. I loved the unique characteristics of each sister and how that blends with the other. They also have a very strong bond.

The Witch is intriguing, and the way she goes about her kingdom. The Witches section of the plot also brings us the story or fairytale of a princess in a kingdom where magic is feared. With a King who seeks to contain and destroy it.

I don’t want to give anything away from the plot but it’s interesting how the pieces fit together in the end. Red string of fate that binds them all. I loved the writing, it has the dreamy feel to it. I also found the plot to be fast paced and engaging. I think sometimes a story like this can drag on but this gave you just enough and kept it interesting.

I do wish the anxiety was touched upon a little bit more. To understand how the character that experiences it feels.

I really enjoyed The Waking Forest and I think it’s something to read if you like stories like The Hazelwood or The Wren Hunt.

The Waking Forest was absolutely incredible. I was brought into the book and even when it ended, I was lost in Wees' world.

The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees is a young adult fantasy. The chapters in this story alternate back and forth between different characters and situations giving it almost the feel of reading two different books at once.

One side of this book features a young girl named Rhea who lives with her parents and sisters and has battled having nightmares whether sleeping or awake. The other side of the story centers around the witch in the woods that grants wishes to those that come find her.

The first half if not three quarters of this one is slow paced with a almost poetic style of writing to the story telling with more action beginning and picking up pace towards the end. As weird as this may sound to those that know me and how I feel about a slow pace I actually think the first half of this one was easier to understand and follow along which made me enjoy it more than the end. With the flowery writing and a certain weirdness to the fantasy this one was just so-so to me in the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.