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BOOK: The Shadows
AUTHOR: Alex North
#alexnorthauthor
Publisher: Celadon Books @celadonbooks
Macmillan @macmillanusa
Stars: âââ
Published: July 7, 2020
Unpopular opinion – I donât have any idea what this book is about. And itâs not really the bookâs fault.
I received this book to review from Netgalley as one of the first audiobooks offered on their new app. I was EXCITED⌠like beyond⌠not only did I get to read this book review, but as audio! This helps me enjoy more books because I can listen during work.
Anyway⌠The app glitched hardcore. It would pause itself, the sections wouldnât line up with the chapters, and when pushing play shoots itself back to the beginning of a previous chapter (and not necessarily the one it was playing). So I spent most of the time trying to figure out where I was in the app.
For this specific book, which not only has a past and present perspective, but also tells parts of âlucid dreamingâ where the character may not know they are awake. Additionally, there is a narrative involving a detective who is trying to solve a grisly murder that connects to the main story. So add in all those narratives and the above app glitch and you can probably understand why I was so confused.
That being said, I got the general gist of the book. But the nuances and twists were very much lost on me. Being a new reader of Alex North, I had only heard how much people liked Whisper Man so that made me want to read this one. Unfortunately, I think I need to read an actual copy to see if I enjoy this author or not to give it a fair opinion.
You can see my video review here:
Small Summary:
You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile–always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that itâs attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet–and inspired more than one copycat.
Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree–and his victim–were Paulâs friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and senile, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.
It’s not long before things start to go wrong. Reading the news, Paul learns another copycat has struck. His mother is distressed, insistent that there’s something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.
It wasn’t just the murder.
It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again…
*****
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.