Anna needs a new home, and she needs it badly. She’s on the run, from both a madman and perhaps even the devil, which she pictured while she almost died. Her family doesn’t want her around anymore, and being close to them simply isn’t safe, nor is being anywhere close to where she was residing. This is why she hops onto a trader’s cart, and travels with him to the outskirts of a secluded town. One that resides amidst the woods, and is bordered by a large forest.
Such is the beginning of Whisperwood; a new dark fantasy novel from debut author, Alex Woodroe.
As she’s driven towards the unknown, and carries the anxieties that come from both starting over and being on the run, Anna is told that there’s something different about Whisperwood. She then sees some of this for herself, while helping the merchant trade his wares in the square just outside town. A place he will not progress past. The women who come to trade seem strange. They’re quiet, they spit in their bosoms as some sort of good luck charm or prayer, and they don’t take kindly to the newcomer. However, our protagonist doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter, and ends up finding refuge at a boarding house run by a crotchety old woman.
Then, not long after arriving, everyone disappears and the sky goes a strange white. With nobody around for miles, Anna becomes fearful, and that is heightened greatly when she spots strange creatures by the woods.
Whisperwood is a tale based around Romanian folklore, and it centres upon a secluded town with a secret. It’s said that nobody can leave the titular region, but the reason why is more complex than expected. You see, Whisperwood acts as the border between our world and a different realm, which little is known about. From time to time, the creatures of the Unknown appear in town due to a phenomenon known as Tides, but their reasoning isn’t clear. The residents of the town fear these events, and do their best to understand when and where they’re going to occur. However, given the time period, and the surreal nature of such things, their sciences are rudimentary and have faults. To put it simply, they don’t know much, and their timetables are flawed. This becomes apparent when Tides begin to occur more often than usual.
After dealing with strange and shocking occurrences, Anna learns that she’s something called a Walker. That means she’s able to walk through the Tides, unlike most others. Why that is remains to be learned, as does whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing.
What follows is a dark fantasy tale about different worlds and the odd creatures that inhabit the Unknown. It’s full of old fashioned fear, hatred and skepticism, not to mention rituals and religion. The people on the human side fear the Unknown, but what is it, exactly, that they fear? What is the Unknown, and what do its strange residents want?
I can’t say much more about the plot without risking spoilers, so I’ll stop here. I will say, though, that I find it odd that this book is recommended to fans of The Witcher, because they’re very different types of fantasy. Keep that in mind.
Whisperwood was something that caught my eye when I was perusing new releases. It looked and sounded like a horror book, seemed interesting and both of those things led me to request a review copy. It took a while for me to get around to reading it, but I’ve now done so and can write the review I owe.
For starters, this book wasn’t exactly what I expected, but that wasn’t a bad thing. I think I had the wrong impression of it, and expected it to be a horror book when it’s really not. Sure, there are dark elements, but this is more of a fantasy tale than anything else. Dark fantasy would be the best term to describe it. As such, those who are hoping to be scared need not apply.
I liked the story, the main character and most of the secondary characters, but would have liked if there’d been more depth to some of them. The same goes for the Unknown and the mysteries that lay within this fantasy world. Whisperwood moves pretty quickly, and I feel that it does so at the detriment to itself. More time spent fleshing out the world would’ve done wonders, and I would’ve appreciated more information about things. As it is, it seemed like the author kept introducing new creatures without fleshing them out as much as possible. It eventually got a bit difficult to keep track of them all, and the very wordy descriptions didn’t help as much as they should’ve.
The Unknown is an intriguing place, but we don’t get enough of it and don’t get to understand it like we needed to. So much happens so quickly that the reader is left wishing for more. At least, that was the case with me.
Those who know me will also know that I don’t read a lot of fantasy, and sometimes struggle with it. Thankfully, this book isn’t high fantasy, and didn’t require its own convoluted maps or its own encyclopedia like A Song of Ice and Fire, which I stopped reading when I couldn’t finish the second book despite two attempts. This is a darker, more creature-based, form of fantasy, and it’s one that isn’t as complex as books like that. I appreciate it for that fact, and it’s part of why I was able to read and enjoy this story for what it is.
I just wish things had more depth, details and time. The book moves too quickly, and introduces too much at once.
That said: for a debut effort, Whisperwood by Alex Woodroe is a pretty impressive accomplishment. It’s relatively well written, despite the aforementioned lack of depth and everything but the kitchen sink approach (at times), but can be too wordy during descriptions.
Overall, this is a pretty good read. One that will satisfy those who are looking for a dark fantasy novel that deals with a strange world and mysterious creatures. I enjoyed it for the most part, but there were times where it dragged a bit, and I felt the ending was a little rushed and confusing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing us with an early copy of the book. Receiving a free Advanced Reader Copy did not sway our opinion. This review is based on that copy, and not a finished retail version.