It's not uncommon for people to go missing in a vast and wild place like Alaska. But in a rainy forest just south of Juneau, it seems to happen more often than usual.
'Don't go hiking in the woods around Shadow Creek.' That's what parents in the small town of Kane have told their teenagers for nearly a hundred years. Because if ever a place deserves its name, Shadow Creek does. The trees grow taller and closer together than elsewhere, casting the forest into deep gloom. Ferns and shrubs seem to swallow trails and mosses cover everything else.
Shadow Creek is a beautiful and tempting place, but there's also something menacing about it. Everyone in town knows the story of the Witch of Shadow Creek, although few suspect it's anything more than "just a story."
When Jack Strader and his dad move from California to reopen the Shadow Creek Lodge, they're just looking for a change – a change of scenery, and a change of pace. But Jack's about to find out that Shadow Creek is a place where the border between this world and the next is sometimes thin.
Assessment:
Plot: The slow pace of this YA story prevents it from maintaining the tension of a typical horror/fantasy novel. Nevertheless, as the teenage characters take center stage against a wild and treacherous backdrop, the narrative gains momentum.
Prose: The writing in this novel is clear, but unmemorable. The overly expository style can weigh down the storytelling, preventing important scenes from fully coming alive on the page.
Originality: While the concept of an ancient spirit wreaking havoc is not new, the author makes effective use of the unique and unsettling Alaskan setting.
Character Development: Teenage protagonist, Jack, is a sympathetic character, but the story too often reduces him to a mere observer. Characters share little interpersonal chemistry, and come across as disconnected from one another in a manner that does not benefit the eerie story.
Date Submitted: August 27, 2018
