The Shadows was creepy and made me wonder if Charlie Crabtree was onto something with lucid dreaming. This led me down a research path that scared me into thinking I may somehow end up in the same dream as Charlie! Once again, Alex North delivers a novel that is just next to normal. While all the unexplained are eventually explained, it is a fun ride to get there.

The lucid dreams were interesting, but it sometimes made the book hard to follow if I wasn't paying close attention. It was hard to know if it was something that actually happened or it was in the dream. It was also creepy to think about people walking around and acting in others dreams without their consent.
That said, the atmosphere and the background story were excellent and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a creepy thriller. This writing is one of the reasons that Alex North is one of my favorite new authors that I look to see if they have anything new!

This book was really good. It exceeded my expectations. I loved the character development we saw and definitely think it deserves more hype

I LOVED Alex North's The Whisper Man, and I was so excited to listen to this audiobook in the hopes that Christopher Eccleston would be the narrator. I was so disappointed that he was not the narrator, and that was part of the reason I did not enjoy this story. I did not feel that it was as suspenseful or engaging as The Whisper Man, and I had a hard time connecting with the main character and the detective. I even tried reading the eBook a few months later to see if my negative thoughts were only because of the narrator. They were not as I did not enjoy reading this book either. It was disappointing, but I would read another Alex North novel in the future to see if this one was just a fluke.

Thank you to @celadonbooks for my gifted copy! I realized when I saw this picture on my phone that I hadn’t posted a review. 😆 This one was just okay for me, I really loved The Whisper Man and would definitely recommend that one. I continued with The Shadows to see how it ended. I put it in my #LittleFreeLibrary right after I finished it and it was snagged so fast, I hope the next person enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed this on audiobook! I think the narrator did a really good job and overall enjoyed the story! Would highly recommend and look forward to other work by Alex North!

Paul Adams has lived his life trying to leave his childhood trauma behind him. But when his mother falls ill, his hometown pulls him back. The return forces him to face the horrors he thought he had left in the past, because Detective Amanda Beck is following the trail of a copycat murder case of the ritualistic murder Paul had found himself in the middle of during his youth. With Paul finally grappling with his past while dealing with its rippling effects to the present, not just his own but Amanda’s as well, the mystery fleshes itself out bit by bit to the big conclusion.

With a good enough narrator you can slip into the plot at the level of the characters’ experiences. I found myself wanting desperately to know the truth and reach the end, but was more than willing to let it unfold without making attempts to potentially “solves” it myself ahead of time. I also want to applaud the decision to use two narrators for Paul and Amanda. It makes their chapters much more distinct from one another this way and in previous experiences it is not always a choice audiobooks make.

Not once did I feel like the story dragged. It kept me on my toes most of the way through. I thought the story itself was fantastic. There is an element to it that makes you question—is this supernaturally influenced or not? Is this an instance of unreliable narrator? At times I felt the goosebumps rise on my skin.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was SO excited to read The Shadows, as I was a huge fan of North's first novel, The Whisper Man. While The Shadows had a great premise and was also very creepy, I walked away not quite as excited about this one.

The story definitely had a unique premise, but I sometimes felt like I had a hard time keeping up with it even though it felt a bit slower paced. I also had a hard time connecting with the narrator of the audio version, and ended up reading the majority of it via my physical copy.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one to everyone, but if you're a fan of North, I'd say it's worth the read if you have a copy!

I really enjoyed the audio format of The Shadows. The narrators were brilliant, and really sucked you into the story.

The Shadows is a super creepy story. A mix of horror and thriller. Almost like an urban legend/campfire tales vibe. The lucid dreaming aspect and the ritualistic behaviour of this book had me both terrified and unable to turn away. Especially the lucid dreaming was really interesting to start with, but then just eerie.

A well written book with a nice mix of mystery, thrills and creepiness. A lot of gore and shocks throughout, heartbreaking moments, anger and sadness whilst at the same time gripping you to the edge of your seat.

I loved the multiple points of view. The flashbacks to the main character Pauls school days with his strange new friendship group, and then back to the present with police detective Amanda, and Paul who is now in his adult years. I loved trying to piece the puzzle together and the mystery as it went along. I honestly had to keep stopping, to digest what I had just heard, and trying to work out my new theories.

The Shadows is dark and complex. You'll find yourself in more twists and turns than Gritten woods! This book will leave you guessing til the very end...

*Trigger warnings* Murder, animal murder, suicide, domestic abuse,gore, violence and homophobic slurs.

This is the second time I listened to the audiobook; the first time I stopped at 50% because I realized I had no idea what was going on in the story. I decided to try again because I heard great things about it and wanted to give it another chance.

My second time around I had the same problem I did the first time, the story is hard to follow. There are two narrators and a past and present timeline that took me a little bit to get into and I would forget which timeline we were in. Eventually I would figure it out but it took away from my enjoyment.

I didn't care for any of the characters but I liked the story enough to keep listening and wanted to find out how it would end. There were several twists and really only one I liked because it explained a lot about what happened with the kids when they were younger. Besides that one twist the other ones were just okay and kind of expected.

Overall this was just an okay book for me, but there were parts that were suspenseful and I think people will enjoy it!

Solid 3.5/5 stars, such a chilly and creepy read from this author. Highly entertaining and enjoyable.

This is the second book from this author that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. The narrator for this book was marvelous and really added to the ambiance of the story. Loved this one so much, I grabbed a physical copy of the book - which is stunning!

It has been twenty-five years since Charlie Crabtree overwhelmed and invaded the life of Paul Adams and his best friend. Charlie's obsession with lucid dreaming, and the manipulation of Paul and his friends, leads the group down a dangerous path. Though he has tried to forget the terrible events of the past, Paul has no choice but to come home after his mother's health takes a turn for the worse.

Charlie's bad acts has provoked copycats in the past, but it is the one that Detective Amanda Beck is investigating in a nearby town that grabs Paul's attention. Will the combination of his mother's anxiety, a bad feeling, and being back in his childhood home lead Paul into trouble?

The author tries to keep readers on their toes by traveling the timeline between the present and the past. The lack of continuity actually works against the story, leading to an eventual conclusion that is devoid of the punch it might have had with a more linear story. I liked the detective, but Paul was less successful. Considering his background, Paul's ratcheting anxiety did not ring true. After all, the worst that could happen to a person happened in his past. Overall, the audiobook was entertaining, but my attention waned in the middle. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Shadows to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an advanced copy of The Shadows by NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio. The choice to review this audiobook was my own.

Highly mysterious book - held my intrigue wonderfully throughout. The concept of exploring dream-like states and bringing them to a reality is something that I've never experienced before, but I found this very captivating! The narrator very creepily brings this story to life, and I'd recommend it to people who are wanting a thrill different to any other book I've read before! For me, it wasn't as good as Alex North's previous book, The Whisper Man, which is reflected in my rating of this book - nonetheless, an excellent story!

I've heard a lot about this author's first book and was excited to listen to The Shadows. I was disappointed because this was not my type of book at all. The book focused around lucid dreaming, but it didn't keep my interest at all. I found all the characters dislikable, which made it hard to want to finish. I did finish it, but will probably not seek out books by this author again.

The Shadows follows alternating timelines of present day, and twenty-five years prior when a group of boys does “something bad.” The group of boys, with very generic names of Billy, James, Paul, and Charlie, became friends and started lucid dreaming. So, combining the alternating timelines, the generic names (in both timelines), and the lucid dreaming which makes it difficult to know if something actually IS happening, you have one confusing book.

One thing I did enjoy about this book, was that the lucid dreaming did make the reader feel uncomfortable because as a reader you were never really sure what was actually happening. Also, the author had some gory/scary scenes that came upon you quite unexpectedly.

I listened to this on audiobook and I thought the male narrator had a very calming, almost soothing voice which made some of the weird things he said creepier, but it also made the parts of the book where nothing happens seem even more dull.

Overall, this one was just okay for me. It was kind of boring at times, and kind of confusing and I just didn’t get the atmospheric creepy that I needed.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 4*
Characters : 4*
Plot: 3*
Predictability: 3*
Audio: 3*

I feel a bit bad rating this so low because had I read this instead of listening to the audio I am sure I would have rated this higher. I found there wasn't the suspense I would have expected, and by going by Norths previous book, The Whisper Man, I am sure it's there in print.
None the less the story was good, and the characters really made it. I may re-read this in a couple of years and see if my predictions on print vs audio were right.

No one does horror like Alex North. This one took me a little while to get into, but once you are hooked you can’t put it down. The actual reveal wasn’t as creepy as I was hoping it would be. I preferred The Whisper Man, but this was still a great read.

I thoroughly enjoyed all versions of this book. Originally I read the novel and then listened to the audio. This was a good story (not quite The Whisper Man) and the narrator was able to add a slightly spooky quality which enhanced the experience.

I wanted to like this book as I loved The Whisper Man. I just couldn't get into the story and felt it dragged on.

I was never able to listen to this book, that was disappointing. I'm going to try NetGalley audiobooks again soon.

I did actually read the book later through a library app. I enjoyed it and recommend it.