I will preface this review by saying that I was given an advanced review copy of this book, but I am a long-term fan of Mr Hawbrook's work.

When I started reading this story, I wasn't sure what to expect. I have read 'The Great Illusory', and 'The Dark Rising', and was taken aback with how different each story was, whilst residing within the Forest Town world. There’s really a rich backstory here that you get a little more of with each story.

And this one is no different.

In all honesty, Foreverland blew me away. The opening chapter is beautifully crafted and sets up the entire book in one fell sweep. The writing throughout is poetic and has a maturity that I’ve not seen in a long while, and the pacing is just perfect. Some keen readers may notice some similarities with Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’, but I assure you that this is the 2.0 of that story. The characters are richer, and the ideals behind it all just keep you wanting to read on.

I love that each story has tiny threads to previous books (I won’t say where, for fear of spoiling), but whether you read them in order, or by themselves, there’s always a little extra something to find.

Whether you’re after a Halloween read, or just an incredibly well-written novella to pass the time on the train, I highly recommend Foreverland.

9.8/10

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