Publisher: CHBB Publishing
Publishing Date: November 5th, 2016
Page Count: 144
Source: Sent for Review
Format: Ebook ARC
Description from Goodreads.com:
Everyone is dying to live in the Shadows of the Forest.
They gave me three rules to follow in exchange for my brother’s life:
1. Do not enter the West Wing;
2. Do not go outside after darkness falls; and
3. There is only one exit; The Gates.
This is what happened when I broke them…
Review:Shadows of the Forest is definitely an interesting read for sure. To be honest I am still a little unsure about what really happened in the story. Lily questions the events that took place in the story at the end and now I am right in that same boat with her. Did it all happen the way it did or was it how she coped? I DON'T KNOW! lol I feel like it had to have happened, because how would everyone else in the story know her? Again, I don't know, but that is what I liked about the story. It left me questioning, wondering and it will for sure be a story that stays in my head for awhile.
Another thing I really loved about this story was the use of Asian Folklore. It was so interesting and definitely made this book stand out. I can't honestly comment on how many books out there use, or don't use, this as a tool in their books, but this is one of the few that I have actually read so it was a very new and refreshing read to me. Since I haven't explore this world before, or another like it, everything was new to me. I really felt like I had to stretch my imagination to try and see what the narrator wanted me to. This brings us into the bad.
The biggest and most prominent reason this book doesn't get a 5-star rating is due to the fact that at times I had a very hard time trying to imagine what Lily was seeing or going through. I mean, I understand that each reader will paint a very different picture in their head no matter how descriptive the author is, but I just needed more details. I think I understood what the inside of the hospital looked like, but I still don't think I grasped what the outside looked like. Surprisingly I think I know what the other world looked like, for the most part, but with Usagi and Willow I am still shaky on what exactly they look like with the ink under their skin. I just needed more. The only other problem I had was something that is probably, or hopefully, already corrected. I received a review copy of this book so, I am assuming it is the rough version most authors send before it goes through its final edits. Because of that fact I overlooked all of the typos, but the flow of the chapters was just off. They didn't flow and felt choppy at some points. If you stopped reading the book at one chapter and then came back to it later they kind of worked, but if you read the book all the way through they just didn't flow as nicely as they should. Again, this might all be fixed in the published edition.
Overall:
I really enjoyed this story. It was different and refreshing ,and I really enjoyed the characters and their stories. The one thing that was missing was just more details. I couldn't fully wrap my head around how some of the places and characters were supposed to look, and I also wish there was more time devoted to Lily's past. I wanted to know more about her family life, how her dad was, and more importantly: more details on their passing. I really don't think I understood how exactly they died. I understand what the rest of the town thinks happened, but I don't think I understood the truth. It was a little vague for me.
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 4/5
**The books cover, description, and info was all found on Goodreads. A link back has been provided. All other work and ideas are of my own creation. This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.**
