Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest by Matt Haig

The charm of this story is that Samuel’s character grows. However, he seemed to be that way before the car accident. Granted he has just lost his parents in a terrible car accident. I found it hard to like Samuel in the beginning. Yet, I must say that at first I had a hard time with the story. He has a wonderful accent that draws the listener into the story. Simon Vance does an excellent job of bringing each character to life. I have to say I loved the narrator for this audio book.

What he finds there is an eerie world populated by trolls, truth pixies and other fantastical creatures. And when Martha wanders into the trees and is captured by some of the creatures described in the book, Samuel has no choice but to go in after her. She doesn't offer an explanation, but Samuel suspects it might have something to do with a strange guidebook he finds in her attic: The Creatures of Shadow Forest. When Samuel and Martha are sent to Norway to live with their Aunt Edna after their parents' deaths, they soon learn her most important rule: NEVER-UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES-GO INTO THE FOREST. And for big kids (like me) it's pretty damned good too! ( ) Still, for kids aged 10, this book is a real lark. One thing that I did find a bit interesting was that Haig did not keep the identities of certain people hidden - from early on you knew who the Changemaker really was, and also had my theory confirmed re: a certain other, four legged, character. It wasn't quite like getting run over by a rabid rhino or something equally ridiculous and OTT.Īnyhow, there are a few twists, a few turns - not quite as many as in Haig's books for adults, but enough to keep me entertained. The beginning was rather dramatic and quite distubring in some ways - sure, children's parents die in books all the time - but there was something frightening realistic in the way Samuel and Martha's mum and dad died. Matt Haig is a very crafty and clever author, even if his books seem to change their titles! I read this one as 'The Shadow Forest' but since that title on GR has no cover and is not linked with his name, I found out that this is actually it's alternate title.Īnd it's fun, and funny, a very clever children's adventure book about a boy and a girl who run into a strange and mysterious forest filled with dangerous creatures (like pixies that like to watch your head explode).

Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest by Matt Haig