Review: Shadows of the Forest by Emma MIchaels

Shadows of the Forest by Emma Michaels
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this book in exchanged for an honest review. This book sounded so interesting, however found myself often confused as to what was actually going on in this book. I frequently had to go back and reread significant amounts of the book to figure out what was going on. I don't appreciate that kind of confusion in the books I read. I often didn't know which character was speaking, sometimes that was cleared up a few paragraphs later sometimes it wasn't clear at all. The concept of the story had a lot of promise, thy way the story was told just didn't work for me. I think with a little more length and development it could really be something great.

On to the story itself, we follow Cole and Lily, a set of twins who have been orphaned.  They've not had the best childhood.  Their father was abusive and we don't know much about their mother other than she died in the forest with their father.  Apparently they destroyed each other, not sure what that means it is never explained.  As is much of the story it is left up to interpretation.  Cole was always Lily's protector, taking as much of the abuse and trying to stick up for Lily as much as he could.  At the beginning of the story Cole and Lily are on a road trip trying to start a new life when they get into a car accident, and Lily is fatally injured.  Cole ever her savior makes a deal with a spirit to save her and take him instead.  She awakens in a kind of spirit hospital to find Kaede and his daughter Willow the resident "healers" who kind of sort of explain what happened to them and what they did to save her.  She is naturally alarmed to find Cole missing and herself alive.  Kaede tells Lily the 3 rules:  1. Do not enter the West Wing; 2. Do not go outside after darkness falls; and 3. There is only one exit; The Gates.  I was never really clear if she broke the rules or not, but the book is supposed to be the story of what happens when she broke the rules.

Lily goes outside and eventually meets Arro, the spirit Cole made the deal with to save Lily.  Arro is or was a fox spirit, but he can take the form of a human.  He tells Lily if she wants to save Cole's life she needs to talk to Willow's mother.  This make's Willow angry because she feels abandoned by her mother and basically thinks the woman is a jerk.  Abandonment is a big theme in the book.  So Lily ever the impulse driven hot-head jumps into action in search of Usagi, Willow's mother and Kaede's true love.  Arro guides  Lily through the forest which has its own strange rules and more spirits with their own stories.  This journey is more than it seems and when she finds Usagi, Lily finds more than she could have ever expected.  This is where the book was actually developed pretty well and wasn't as confusing.  Lily's is faced with a decision that will not only save Cole, but it has the potential to save everyone else too.

The end kind of wraps up with the story being about living life the the fullest, self acceptance, self love, remembering those who have passed on, and alot of symbolism of what the afterlife might be like.  If I'm not mistaken there is alot of Asian influence which I find really interesting, but the background and definition is left out so I'm left not knowing anything about the culture without doing my own homework.

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