Review of ‘The Other Side of Forestlands Lake’ by Carolyn Elizabeth
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t want to read this novel. Lesfic paranormal books aren’t my cup of tea and they have to come highly recommended for me to read them. However, this author is one of my favourites so I decided to read it anyway. And I’m glad I did.
Teenagers Willa Dunn and Lee Chandler used to spend every summer together in Forestlands Lake in upstate NY, until one day a tragic event for Willa’s family separated them. Twenty-five years later, Willa returns to Forestlands Lake as a famous YA author of ghost stories in search of a writing retreat and a chance of a reconnection with her sister Nicole. There she meets Lee again and together they will have to deal with ghosts – metaphorical and literal – from their past and present…
I was fearing that this book would creep me out with the story about ghosts but, luckily for me, this is not a horror book. As a matter of fact, it’s quite light on the paranormal side and as it favours more suspense/intrigue/mystery which will keep you turning pages and trying to guess the direction it’s going.
Forestlands Lake is a small town but a few of its inhabitants are important to the story and part of the mystery to be solved. I loved the way the author weaves the web of relationships among them and how she slowly brings connections between past and present. The mystery and intrigue parts were very well done and the great reveal unexpected.
Even though this isn’t a romance book, there are two types of love stories, YA and adult. Ms. Elizabeth writes both of them very well. I was especially surprised by the YA romance as it sounded authentic by highlighting the characters’ insecurities and innocence. The adult romance is also well written with lots of chemistry between the mains. However, as I said before, this is not a romance book so don’t expect much in that department because the mystery / intrigue steals the show.
The setting of this novel, exclusively in the small town of Forestlands Lake, creates a perfect background for the story. The small town with its history of old conflicts and feuds between their inhabitants bring the perfect opportunity to highlight the intrigue part of the plot. The woods surrounding it, and the lake dividing it from ‘the other side’ provides the story with a mysterious and even claustrophobic landscape in which the truth can be hidden in plain sight or in the deep dark of the night.
Overall, a superb paranormal / mystery book that won’t disappoint the fans of the genre. 5 stars.
The Other Side of Forestlands Lake
To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to read this novel. Lesfic paranormal books aren't my cup of tea and they have to come highly recommended for me to read them. However, this author is one of my favourites so I decided to read it anyway. And I'm glad I did.
URL: 5 stars, Bereavement, Children or Teenagers, Family, Ghosts, Nature, Second chances, Writer
Author: Carolyn Elizabeth
5
