The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees

The Waking Forest

by Alyssa Wees

Pan's Labyrinth meets The Hazel Wood in this novel about a girl with terrifying visions and a wish-granting witch whose lives collide in the most unexpected of ways.

"Bewitching, sensuous, and spiked with the unexpected--The Waking Forest is a fever dream you won't ever want to leave."-Joan He, author of The Descendent of the Crane


The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She's desperate to know more--until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.

To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.

The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea's and the Witch's paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?

"A stunning, spooky, and lyrical debut....The pacing is taut as the tension steadily ramps up, creating an atmospheric read that is impossible to put down. A sure hit for readers of edgy fantasy and fans of Stephanie Garber's Caraval or Heidi Heilig's The Girl from Everywhere."-SLJ, Starred Review

"[A] masterfully woven fantasy debut...[with] an intricate pattern crafted to twist, invert, and fall apart with exquisite precision. Into the woods like never before."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Wees layers worlds and characters with cleverness and subtlety,...darkly satisfying."-The Bulletin

"A twisting mix of modern story and fantasy tale."-Booklist

Reviewed by kalventure on

4 of 5 stars

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✨ I am so beyond excited that The Waking Forest is one of the Reader Voracious Novel19 Books! You can read my interview with Alyssa on my blog here!
Narrative style: first & third person | Perspective(s): dual (The Witch {third}, Rhea)
Spooky Season is upon us my friends, and The Waking Forest is a beautifully written fantasy debut that is sure to get you in the mood! Wees weaved fairy tales, dreams, and nightmares into a lyrical tale that flows on the page and takes on a life of its own.
"What waits for a kiss that does not come? What dreams and dreams until it comes undone?"
This is one of the most atmospheric books I have read in awhile. Wees’ writing is beautiful and descriptive, and I almost feel like I am in a fever dream while reading it (much like when I read Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton – another witchy book I recommend).

This book is beautiful but requires some patience. The book has dual points-of-view and stylistically are night and day from one another. The Witch's narrative is more lyrical and is in third person, whereas Rhea's perspective is in first person and the prose is less purple (but still beautiful). There are two very different stories being told and I didn't really settle into the narrative until things started weaving together around the halfway point. I have a lot of "wtf is going on?" notes; I encourage you to just read the book and trust things will slide into focus.
"I can think of nothing more terrifying than a dream like this, which is only in your heart and cannot hurt you, until it suddenly reaches out and touches you."
There's a lot I would like to say about the plot itself and how much I enjoyed it once it came together, but I really think it is best for you to go in as blind as possible on this one. As someone who oftentimes struggles with multiple POVs, I found the alternating perspectives to work here and the pacing of the story is done well.

The story is beautiful and reads like a lucid dream but none of the characters never really felt real to me. There are moments of sisterhood and just daily life with the family that was heartwarming, but they never felt like real people; the story itself was what I was invested in and drove the narrative forward for me. And I suppose that is the point for a magical, ephemeral read. I loved the anxiety rep in this book and how supportive the family is of their mental struggles. It was also refreshing to have a young adult fantasy story where the parents are present for once, and there is a f/f side relationship mentioned near the end.
"All things end, eventually. Even the very best stories. And the worst of them too."
This is a book that I think will get better with re-reads. I spent the first half of this book utterly confused and wonder how much more I will enjoy it now that I know the ending. The story is beautiful and Wees is definitely an author to watch as I am sure she will continue to write atmospheric and lyrical stories. I don't think the writing style will be for everyone, but for those of you who love poetic writing, this debut is a great fall read to get you in the spooky mood.

Content warnings: anxiety, dead body, death, gore, grief, hallucinations
Representation: anxiety, f/f relationship

Many thanks to Delacorte for sending me an eARC via Netgalley for my honest review (I read my pre-ordered hardback)!
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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 14 September, 2019: Finished reading
  • 14 September, 2019: Reviewed