The Watchers: a spine-chilling Gothic horror novel

A.M. Shine has absolutely mastered gothic horror!  In the story, Mina and three others find themselves ensnared in an overgrown and desolate forest. At night, they are further trapped in a mysterious room with a wall of glass and an electric light that switches on, when the Watchers are keen to study them.  The Watchers can see them, but Mina and the others do not know who the Watchers are, what they look like, and why they observe them.  They know enough, however, to be terrified of the Watchers and what they might do to them.  Readers are provided with a penetrating view of the characters’ psyches, as they cope with incessant hunger, constant dread, and desperation.  Madeline’s character is strikingly complex and fascinating—an enigma, seemingly devoid of any expression of emotion yet caring enough to help everyone survive.  Intensely psychological!  Totally creepy and claustrophobic!  Startling, bone-chilling to its final revelation!  A perfect read for the Halloween season!

I would like to give this a 3.5 if I could but it's good enough to round up. I start off by saying that it's worth the read and he ends it nicely for a sequel, which i would definitely read. There was enough suspense through the book to keep me reading even though I was bored in a few places because I'd generally say it's 15% longer than it needs to be. I stayed up til midnight last night because i wanted to finish it and the ending became so intriguing.If the author reads this. Congratulation on your first novel, it is suspenseful and very we'll written.Having said that, I have some issues and frustrations with the story and they are in no particular order:How could that small bird survive the winter in the woods and then the trek out of it toward the end. a bird that size would die in hours in that cold, and without food, but for 4 months? No way.How could Mirna run an entire day in the woods, in winter, without shoes or socks? No way.How did Mirna survive her first night in the car when it broke down. The Watchers should have found her immediately.How was the road built near this place and there's not a entire line of broken down cars?We never find out what makes the cars break down and why nothing works in this place.it's a long wait to learn how the house and bunker are built but still too unbelievable. How could that man survive there after building such an elaborate place. How did he know what would withstand the monsters and build it in few daylight hours.The premise of the book, thousands of creatures would descend on this house every night just to watch the people inside? this is a little stupid.The descriptions of the different things are excellent but way way way too long. Too much verbiage that didn't add to the story and actually made it boring. I struggle with wanting to put it down at those sections.Also grammatically, he uses to much passive language to describe things and that became boring and frustrating. Example, "he was."... or " it was...". Try to describe things more in the present and actively.The way that they found the boat to get out was a bit unbelievable after sitting by a river all of those years.If nothing else lived in the area, what did the monsters eat? How can they survive with no food? Also, why didn't they just spread if they are so powerful.All of my questions about Madeline were answered in the last several chapters. But I did suspect her as something villainous although i didn't expect her to be what she ended up being. Interesting, although I didn't really like the alliance they made in the house. It seemed too quick.Very interesting ending and definitely set up for a sequel that I hope is written.

I'm a HUGE horror fan. Started reading Stephen King at age 12. The scarier the better. This book was so TENSE I had to keep putting it down after just a few pages. Very well-constructed story, and VERY well-written. I loved the ending, too, even though normally I hate it when you can tell a sequel is on the way. It stands alone just fine. The claustrophobia and tension were just UNREAL. I hope this author writes more.

It’s not a bad read but just wasn’t as suspenseful as I expected. Has a nice twist but not as dramatic as it led up to be. Maybe the story line would have held up better a few decades ago when basic scares had a stronger impact.

This was a great book. Not at all what I expected. I really want to give it 4.5 stars but that’s not an option. I loved the characters and the twists and turns in the story.

I read this because of my personal vendetta against M. Night Shyamalan. When I heard he was involved with another movie based on another book, and this book just so happened to be sitting in my kindle library, I knew it was fate telling me to read this. I'm really happy that I did. I read this whole book in basically one sitting. The premise was great, the main characters were interesting and I did like them as a whole. I'm trying not to go too much into spoilers, but I did find myself starting to think and feel like some of the characters in certain moments, especially towards other characters. I could also see why certain characters did or acted the way they did because of actions of the other characters, if that makes sense. The Watchers, themselves, I didn't even come close to guessing what their origins were, so it was a cool reveal to me. The twist for the story, I saw the first part of it coming but not the second part. When it was revealed, I literally sat there for a hot minute and had to let it sink in, going through everything in my mind and trying to connect the dots and see if I missed clues. Going back through the story, there really was some hints here and there that were just weaved into the story so seamlessly that I didn't even give it a second thought. Overall, this book was fantastic and I'm so glad that my grudge against M. Night finally pushed me to read this and I'm dreading seeing what they've done with the movie. I'm so looking forward to reading more from A.M Shine.

I absolutely loved this book and did not want to put it down until I finished it. There was a twist in the book which even "broke my brain" for a minute because it was so shocking.

5 stars for enjoymentYou can't see them. But they can see you.The Watchers is Shine’s debut novel and it takes place in a remote forest.Mina’s car breaks down at the treeline of an uncharted forest. What she doesn’t know is that her car was not the first and it won't be the last. Stranded, she makes her way into the forest and is startled by a woman screaming at her to run to a concrete bunker.The bunker isa room with a wall glass and a light that activates at nightfall, when the watchers emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to those who fail to reach the bunker in time.Unlike her “roommates” Mina refuses to accept this as her fate and is determined to find out all she can about the watchers.To say I loved this book is the understatement of the year. I can't believe not enough people has read it. It is fresh, intense, atmospheric and plain scary. It scares you from the human element and the supernatural. The creatures are vicious and Shine did such a fantastic job describing them through the fear of the characters.These creatures are inspired by folklore (not telling you not to risk spoiling). but oh, did Shine take that to the next level. His writing surrounds you and takes you where he wants you to go. It was one of my fave horror books of the year and I can not reccomend it enough. I hope more people pick it up, and I hope Shine continues to write books.I am a huge fan of the Myst video game series and The Watchers had the same vibes. If I had to try to describe the vibe of this book I would say it is 'Myst meets Lasher (the character)' in the best and most original way possible.p.s I LOVE this cover! I currently own the e-book, but I am coveting the harcover coming our in March!

I wasn’t sure when I started this book, but the story just got better and better. It is the story of the watchers who live underground and don’t like the light. They are scary and terrifying and you can’t escape them. Read at your peril.

Ottimo thriller, mangiato in 24 ore. Il tipo di lettura che non riesci proprio a posare. Il colpo di scena è davvero interessante, il finale mi è piaciuto, anche se trovo sia un po' troppo impostato in modo "frettoloso" con lo scopo d'introdurre un sequel. Comunque consigliatissimo.

The book keeps you on your toes till the end. I have devoted so much time of my work and sleep to the book, as I just could not stop!

Incredible book that makes u want to read it in one sitting. Wow amazing author. Makes the unbelievable believable. Thank u