3 Stars

Anna has been running away, living in remote towns and villages where no one knows her. She has also been exploring the regions to find out more about the local folklore and supernatural beings. She lands in Whisperwood, a town with too many secrets, mysteries, and deaths- a place where a person can enter but not leave of their own accord. 

Anna’s arrival escalates dangers and death (or so it seems), and soon, she’s right in the middle of chaos and fear. With her natural inclination to help and be useful, Anna decides to work with some of the townsfolk to find answers to their questions. But can they come out alive after going deep into the Whisperwood forest? 

The story comes from Anna’s first-person POV. 

Folk horror is my favorite, as it relies on setting, atmosphere, and folklore rather than excessive gore. The descriptions of the woods, the mythical creatures (from Romanian folklore and author-created), and the creepy vibes are spot on. 

The descriptions of the creatures are detailed enough to easily visualize them. I like how I didn’t have to wonder about their appearances or stop reading to Google them. This made them more real and integral to the setting. 

The narrator’s voice has a good dose of dark humor that’s snarky, self-deprecating, and the kind you see when someone’s trying to stay sane (coping mechanism). This perfectly suits Anna’s backstory and her arc. 

The dialogue can be a hit or a miss. They are choppy and come with random jokes that will not make you laugh. I like this because the dialogues seem to fit whatever little we understand about the town and its people. 

The prose has quality without feeling heavy-handed or dense. It imagery of the setting is strong but doesn’t go overboard. A few alliterations (violent violet) made me smile. 

The ending feels gentler than it could have been. I think it’s intentional and eases the reader out of the setting rather than shoving them out. Also, there’s no attempt to add a ‘twist’ at the end or shock the readers. I appreciate this and like the ending (even if all questions aren’t answered). 

The book is slow and fast at the same time. The narration is super slow, and it feels like we are going in circles at times. However, the events happen so fast (literally in a couple of days) that it’s amazing how people form and break bonds in minutes. 

The book has a strong beginning and establishes a sense of eeriness. However, it fails to sustain the intensity over time, especially with the villagers. They turn into regular superstitious witch-hunting folk but still don’t feel dangerous. Also, the period is vague. The dialogues read modern, but the costumes and stuff feel historical. Maybe it’s set somewhere in between. 

It’s common for people to die in horror books. However, that doesn’t mean they will not be fully developed. Many side characters are vague and don’t have enough depth. Even Anna despite her tragic past is blurry. Since I couldn’t empathize with her character (despite all the hardships), it’s harder for me to see her growth as organic. That impact just isn’t there. 

Furthermore, I’m not entirely sure how Anna’s past plays into the core plot. While we see some moments linking to it, those could have been done through means too. Though it shows there are different kinds of horrors, the concept needs to be more cohesive. 

This book should either have been a novella (by removing unwanted parts) or a longer novel (with another 50-70 pages) that elaborates on the setting, characters, their pasts and motivations. Right now, it’s stuck in the middle, exactly where it should not be. 

To summarize, Whisperwood is a decent debut combining Romanian folklore and creativity to present an atmospheric story. However, it needed more structuring to deliver the intended. The author is definitely talented, and I’d be happy to read more books by her. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Flame Tree Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #Whisperwood 

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This has been a pitstop on the #Whisperwood blog tour conducted by Random Things Tours. (@RandomTTours on Twitter).