So the idea behind this book was intriguing, unfortunately, I don’t think the author executed it well. 50 pages or more could have easily been cut from the book that were unnecessary to the story or character development. Yes, sometimes more writing is needed in order to properly develop characters and authors like King, sometimes Koontz, Joe Hill, Tana French….they do a great job of this without it feeling forced and boring. Shine’s writing, never flowed naturally. His character development felt forced and more like a filler for more pages. What was even more frustrating is that at times it was repetitive with the character saying/thinking the same thing over and over again. In addition, there were times that the creatures were being described, but in such a way that you couldn’t tell if it was the characters imagination, or the author describing the characters. Overall, very disappointed in the book especially after reading the reviews. Oh, and to top it off never really felt scary. ( )

“They don’t like daylight,” Madeline said angrily.
And they shriek and scream.
“They had to stay awake, otherwise the watchers would scream and howl, hammer at the glass.”
“You know the rules, Ciara. When the light is on, the door stays closed.”

“Run because there is nothing here but pain and death. This is their home and we don’t belong.”

Pretty freaky set up to this story! People are trapped in a 'house', and the Watchers basically terrorize them when the night comes. Sometimes, I felt like it was a bit reminiscent of "Bird Box", but it didn't distract from the tale. And the big twist toward the end was totally unexpected for me! I'm definitely steering clear of that forest! ( )

This book had so…much…potential! I’m a little angry really. There’s just some things I can’t let go, because I need brains! I love camp/hike/woodsy stories because I do so much of it myself.

This book had major spook factor, mystery and dread. The time taken on the characters was done with great care and fed the story well. The ambiance was just wonderfully creepy. I could see this becoming a wicked adaptation, but…..


******Spoilers below*******




Why, why, WHY would you willingly walk right in to the woods to find your way back to civilization?!
I can’t let it go. Hang out in your car and wait till morning and head back the way you frikken came from. If the story needs to go forward, it can’t be by sheer stupidity. Have something drive the character to that last decision.
After the reveal about Madeline, which I think most of us were aware very early on, there’s a twist at the very last chapter that could have been epic had it been slowly fed/added/ shadowed through the story. To just….wham! No…it was wasted

So anywho. It was fun after I did my first abandonment of basic safety and let reality bleed by. Getting to really know the group and feel their anxiety and fears. Those pieces were so nice. ( )

This is tough. On one hand, this was a great read with an original concept, a horrific plot and good characters.

On the other hand it felt as if it was never going to end. It's one of those weird ebooks where you think that you might be nearing the climax and the end, but you look down and OMG! 64% How can that be?

There were too many words. The descriptions were approaching [a:Henry James|159|Henry James|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1468309415p2/159.jpg] level verbose. There were times where intimate descriptions of lighting levels were called for, and then there weren't. Like, I get it: It's really heffing dark. I started skimming paragraphs that described shades of grass because, unbelievably, I know what grass looks like. I've been outside.

So, the setting was overdrawn. Everything else was great. The characters stood out from one another in interesting ways. I loved the twists at the end. Definitely a recommended read for all. ( )

This ended up being very different than I'd expected going in....there wasn't as much horror as I'd assumed.

There were dead spots....some parts were very interesting and I'd began to get absorbed......only to fall flat once again in the next few pages. The entire book was a bit too atmospheric for me taste.

I figured out the " plot twist" very early on and spent the book just waiting for it to unfold. Although, the ending was alittle unexpected, it was way too cryptic.

Overall, still a good read. ( )