The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees

The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees is a YA Fantasy story of secrets, witches, and survival.

“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. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.

The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea’s and the Witch’s paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?”

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.

Published: 12 March 2019

Publisher: Delacorte

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 304

How I Read It: eARC from NetGalley

*Disclaimer: I requested a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All my reviews contain my honest opinion only and are not influenced in any way.*

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