Join me today for my stop on the blog tour for the release of a new dynamic folk fantasy by Alex Woodroe. I am pleased I have been scheduled for the launch day, 11th July 2023.

Alex is a Romanian writer and editor of dark speculative fiction. She’s the author of Whisperwood, as well as several short horror, fantasy, and science-fiction stories published in venues like Dark Matter Magazine, Horror Library, the Nosleep podcast, and more. She lives in the heart of the Transylvanian region of Romania, and lets her country’s culture and unique natural landscapes influence her work.

She’s been a translator, a barmaid, a teacher, a copywriter, and a dog trainer, but ultimately realized she wouldn’t be happy until she terrified people for a living. Alex now runs her own company doing freelance editing, translations, and writing, as well as working as an acquisitions editor for Indie Horror upstart, Tenebrous Press.

Whisperwood is published by Flame Tree Press, which is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

This novel is described as a must-read dark fantasy debut for fans of The Witcher, woodland survival guides, the gruesome original Grimm Brothers stories, and dark folklore from around the world…

A journey into the wild woods with a character who just needs a break—and the terrible things that stare back at her.

When curious nomad Anna hears about Whisperwood, a town that’s not on any maps, that nobody goes to, and nobody comes from, she sees an opportunity to hide from her violent witch-hunting ex.

But not everything is peaceful in the isolated community. A vanishing town, a gruesome funeral rite, an emergency field surgery—these surprises and more test Anna’s resolve.

Prevented from leaving the frontier settlement by folk magic she doesn’t understand, Anna lends helping hands everywhere she can, but quickly finds that investigating the forest too closely could end up being the last thing she does.

My stop involves a book review.

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Title: Whisperwood

Written by: Alex Woodroe

Published by: Flame Tree Press

The thing that I like best about this book was the world of Whisperwood. The setting is vividly described and very eerie. I understood why nobody would really want to go there unless they were desperate and found the dark magic that stopped Anna leaving quite intriguing. I enjoyed discovering how the village was connected to many of the Romanian folktales. The Whispers were mysterious and quite creepy.

I liked the main character Anna who has a gift of being friendly and supportive. She quickly makes a few friends and also a few enemies. I admired her bravery and determination to overcome . I can imagine myself being friends with her. I was rooting for her throughout the story from when she left the abusive partner who turned her whole family against her by claiming she was a witch, right to the very end when she confronts the kidnappers, in the exciting twist ending.

As with many of the books I have read recently, Whisperwood cleverly portrays the dark side of humanity and people’s character. The way Alex showed how people can be easily manipulated to believe someone was a witch reflects history and is reminiscent of the witch trials. Also the way people ignore many of the bad things that are happening in the world around them is a poignant statement of the whole world. Whisperwood is not the only place where the people choose to be blinkered.

On the whole Whisperwood is an exciting, fast-paced mystery suitable for the older YA readership.

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To follow the rest of the tour check out the schedule:

You can buy copies of Whisperwood by Alex Woodroe from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation which supports a wide range of independent bookstores.

You can learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress.

To discover more about Alex Woodroe take a look at her website: www.alexwoodroe.com

I would like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. Thank you.