This is the start of a new trilogy, The Forsaken, in a setting which is pretty self explanatory from the title. It is weird and wonderful and worth checking out

I loved the writing style, it feels epic and it flowed consistently throughout the 600+ pages which made it a breeze to read and really immerses you. There’s no hand holding here though, you get thrown into this world and it can be quite confusing at first getting to grips with the terminology, the lore and the setting but it slowly lets you in and I picked it up eventually

The world building is very intriguing, there’s lots of mystery within the woods and other weird wonders. There’s an almost haunting presence and you never know what or who is going to be encountered as the story progresses. There’s an array of strange creatures which credit is deserved for imagination and creativity and not to mention an animal companion which I always love

There’s some really stand out and memorable scenes that occur that compliment the world and the woods but I felt like they were few and far between and I was left craving more but I appreciated what was there

The cast of characters are interesting to follow and they all play an important role in the story. Each one is very different from the other in terms of their existence, purpose and background which made them all equally engaging, side character or main

There were a few sections of the story that felt a little bland but the latter part of the book really shines, it becomes action packed with magic leading to a satisfying ending. Book 2 will definitely be getting pre-ordered.

Ps. It was a challenge to not imagine a world full of Groots running around