Whisperwood by Alex Woodroe

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.

About the author

Alex Woodroe 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 MatterMagazine, 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 beermaid, 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.

Review

‘Whisperwood’ is a dark fantasy that is full of ungodly tension, peppered with characters and a tale that is as old as time itself. This is a debut novel but didn't read like one, it was well structured and the writing was superb. I will definitely be looking out for more of her work!

Anna is on a journey of escape and she just needs to hide and be given a stroke of luck. When she hears about the town of Whisperwood, a town which isn't shown on maps she thinks it is the perfect place to hide from her witch-hunting ex. But not everything is peaceful in Whisperwood. A vanishing town, a strange funeral rite, an emergency surgery - there are things you can't explain. Prevented from leaving by folk magic, Anna gives a helping hand but the woods nearby are whispering and Anna can't help but be drawn to them…

I love folk tales and although this book takes them from Romanian influences there were still a lot of reference points that I found were present. Maybe I have just watched too much Supernatural! I loved this book. It drew me in quickly and easily created this complete and thriving world. This isn't an easy thing to do in fantasy as it is inherent that things should feel alien and weird. It was filled with frightening creatures, packed full of action and the tension was just spot on. It is a fantastic piece of dark fantasy and I wish that there was more of it to read! I would read anything that involved Anna and Perdy. Hopefully, the author will revisit this world at some point.

Let me know if you pick this one up!