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A review by arielmarkenjack
Whisperwood by Alex Woodroe
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I cannot resist a novel that fully transports me to another world. Alex Woodroe's WHISPERWOOD won my heart very quickly with its immersive descriptions of setting and atmosphere. For the day I spent reading--or, really, devouring--this book, I was able to forget all about being sick in bed at home and simply experience the unnerving wonders of Woodroe's folkloric woods.
I don't want to give anything away, but one thing I particularly appreciated about WHISPERWOOD was that, unlike most of the dark fantasy novels I've read in recent years, it did not ultimately turn out to be primarily romantic in nature. I don't have anything against romance, but I love a book that has other types of stories to tell--and other types of relationships to explore. The complexity of this novel's character relationships is truly a pleasing thing, and I loved how well Woodroe seems to understand what her characters want and what their stories need in order to be interesting.
I also loved, of course, the new-to-me monsters and other horrors lurking in this novel's woods. I have not read much about Romanian folklore and so I cannot speak to the precise ways in which Woodroe engaged with it, but the strange things her characters encounter *feel* real and true in the way of things drawn from myth, as do the customs of the people whose daily lives are impacted by the creatures that live nearby. It's a neat trick to write a fantasy novel that feels like something true, and I think Woodroe hit that mark with WHISPERWOOD.
I don't want to give anything away, but one thing I particularly appreciated about WHISPERWOOD was that, unlike most of the dark fantasy novels I've read in recent years, it did not ultimately turn out to be primarily romantic in nature. I don't have anything against romance, but I love a book that has other types of stories to tell--and other types of relationships to explore. The complexity of this novel's character relationships is truly a pleasing thing, and I loved how well Woodroe seems to understand what her characters want and what their stories need in order to be interesting.
I also loved, of course, the new-to-me monsters and other horrors lurking in this novel's woods. I have not read much about Romanian folklore and so I cannot speak to the precise ways in which Woodroe engaged with it, but the strange things her characters encounter *feel* real and true in the way of things drawn from myth, as do the customs of the people whose daily lives are impacted by the creatures that live nearby. It's a neat trick to write a fantasy novel that feels like something true, and I think Woodroe hit that mark with WHISPERWOOD.