I ended up finishing this yesterday,so here are my final thoughts. I really liked the gothic-like eerie atmosphere this book had and appreciated how the author explored themes of identity, mental health, and even eating disorders. Not to mention Andrew who was such an unreliable narrator, and whose shifting mood was the driving force behind the plot unraveling. I liked the angst of their teenage romance (though it did feel a bit repetitive towards the end), of the cracks forming in their friendship, and the sinister edge of Andrew's obsession with being a part of Thomas for ever. On the other hand, we also had Thomas' slow fall to ruination, and how, as his confidence and composure crumble, we saw Andrew become stronger and more in control. I definitely felt a bit iffy about Dove and how much she was ignoring Andrew, but it took me a long while to even consider her not being alive! I'm also flabbergasted at the total lack of any concern and interest by any of the adults in this novel, especially Andrew's father. I'm just ???? about it, lol. I enjoyed how the forest felt like its own entity, too, with the monsters just being an extension of it.
That said, I... didn't like how ambiguous the ending was. I really wanted to know if everything was happening in Andrew's head and thus his reality was warped, or if there was an actual paranormal/magical element to it and how it actually worked - was it Dove's unwitting sacrifice and their shared blood that linked Andrew to the forest? Or was that all him, unlocking his abilities once he blocked the trauma of his twin's death? Just, the horror sub-plot felt overtaken by the romance one and I don't know how to feel about that. I'm considering giving this one 3.75/4 stars.
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