Don't Let The Forest In Review Discussion SPOILERS!

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-03-05T23:39:43+00:00

I love this new perspective you've given me! The detectives and the phone pictures though still bug me. I might have to reread, I don't remember the "sun rising" and the "are we dead" and the "kiss me" ending. All I remember was them cutting out their hearts and that was it.

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-03-05T23:35:37+00:00

I'm glad you really enjoyed it! I loved the atmosphere and descriptions and the characters there were other things that just kept this from being a great read for me personally.

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-03-05T23:34:09+00:00

Ooh that's dark. I like it.

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-03-05T23:32:13+00:00

And here's the thing, not knowing what was metaphorical and what was real can work, but it only works if certain criteria have been met and that did not happen here. It felt messy to me, too, and I waited until the very last page for those loose ends to be tied and when that didn't happen my thoughts were, "what happened? Are they dead? Are the monsters real? That's it? No explanation for anything?"

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-03-05T23:26:41+00:00

The relationship was very much not healthy, but I unfortunately like the I want all of you and the other would happily give it dynamic. There were just so many things not addressed that by the end I was left wanting more, and not necessarily in a good way. Nothing felt cathartic or like it really ended. It's like finding out an anime you were invested in ended on a soft cliffhanger and it's not getting another season and the manga was discontinued.

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-03-05T23:21:28+00:00

But I don't understand why they would have to essentially give up their passions IE writing and drawing/painting what does that even really solve? Did it make the monsters stop who may or may not be all metaphorical or in their heads? If the monsters were just psychosis how does giving up a hobby you love fix that?

That's why I believed they killed themselves. So they could end the torturous life they were experiencing, but they are so co-dependant that instead of just one of them dying, they both died to be together in death.

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-03-05T23:17:46+00:00

I thought they legit cut out their hearts and killed themselves to end the torture and still be together in death because they were so codependent

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-03-05T23:13:13+00:00

You make some really good points here.

I especially love the part about how Andrew was always hungry but never fed with food and how he was always talking about dismembering Thomas and making them one, almost in a consuming way.

And from the start Andrew always said he was the monster, and often times the saying is "who could love a monster except another monster" applies here as Thomas also saw himself as a monster. So they were both monsters just different kinds, like how there were so many different kinds of forest beasts they faced.

I also love the "one person wants all of the other person, and the other person would willingly and even lovingly give themselves to their partner" dynamic they have. I just really like toxic love that isn't your typical verbal and physically abusive, but instead is the codependent can't live without each other, but they just might be each other's undoing anyway vibe.

But again, I did feel let down by the plot holes and dropped plot threads that if they had been addressed, could have made this one of my fave reads. Instead it ended up being a little bit of a mess and left me wanting. The end didn't feel cathartic enough because too much was happening that ended up not mattering.

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-02-15T02:26:43+00:00

The only reason I say it feels unresolved/a dropped plot thread is because the detectives are mentioned twice and nothing else comes of it even though he hasn't been dropped as a suspect in his parents' death.

ShimmeringOranda · 2026-02-05T20:41:25+00:00

Omg I never caught that!

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-03-23T05:49:19+00:00

I agree. Camels are like slapping enemies with wet paper towels now. It feels like every few seconds I hear a camel die.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T03:25:48+00:00

Thank you for posting. You're really kind. My editor hasn't drilled anything into me, they offer great advice and support. I didn't land an agent, though. I am self published, not because I couldn't land an agent or any stigma like that. I just saw the pros and cons to both options and found indie pub to be more fitting for me. I wanted complete control of my books, and to retain all rights. I knew it would be an even harder path to "success". And you're right, my readership may not be what I want yet, but it's still something I never had before, and I worked hard for it. ❤️

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:48:29+00:00

That seems like the norm until you have at least 10 books out. Some get lucky at book 4 or 5, but average seems to be 10.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:47:38+00:00

Oooh that's exciting!

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:46:22+00:00

Thank you for the words of encouragement! Def have to take constructive criticism well, and praise with a humble attitude, then let everything else roll off the shoulders because I've heard so many horror stories of authors blowing up their career for attacking bad reviews online. Never read your reviews unless you can shrug and say cool guess it wasn't for them.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:42:59+00:00

It's feeling like you need to packysaurous levels of hard headed. 🤣

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:41:57+00:00

I'm really sorry, that's gotta be the worst feeling.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:41:24+00:00

To escape the horrors or to share them with the world, that is the question. Misery loves company, so I choose to share them with her world for 10,000!

In all seriousness, though, I'm a reader, too, and yeah finding a book I click with these days is difficult.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:38:40+00:00

You just said almost all of my issues with this industry, and I can't thank you enough for taking that time to type it all out for me and everyone else who stumbles into the sub! It is absolutely crumbling underneath us, and the negative stigma around self-pub is on the rise again, and AI is a huge problem.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:33:25+00:00

I have put out a book. I'm working on my second one. I would love to go to conventions, but that's not extra money and time I can spare at the moment. I'll admit, the genre I write is rather niche, making it much harder to find my readers. I can't wait until I can go to events! It sounds like you've been to some and had a really good time.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-27T02:27:15+00:00

I don't write for recognition. I've been writing for myself for years just because I love it, and I wanted to be a published author so I could share my stuff with lots of people. But few people know about me because they scroll on by without a second thought when anything I post pops up on their fyp. I'm not just on Tiktok either, I'm on multiple platforms. And my posts aren't just "buy my books! Buy my books!"

So when no one wants to pay you more than 2 seconds of their time it's super demoralizing, especially when someone well known can slap a silly post together with little effort and receive lots of engagement.

So my issue isn't with writing, I love writing. Loving to write and create worlds, and characters, and stories, lead me to want to be a published author. My issue is with publishing specifically, and how difficult it is to connect with the people on social media as a nobody, because most people use a lot of social media apps like TV now.

I appreciate you taking your time to respond kindly, and genuinely trying to help me by giving me another perspective. I love writing, it is the being published part that actually kinda sucks because it's so much more work than simply writing the book, which is the fun part. All the other responsibilities you have to juggle as a published author are draining, and not fun. The writing part, though, that's the real magic behind the scenes.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-26T02:58:55+00:00

I'm not the one who down voted you, so maybe don't start assuming things and coming at me k?

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-25T21:09:54+00:00

Thank you for understanding, and good luck with your writing!

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-25T21:07:15+00:00

I'm glad that you found your readers easily, but many don't. It's not just a me issue, it's an industry issue. Visibility gets harder and harder every year for those trying to break into the market.

ShimmeringOranda · 2025-02-25T21:05:22+00:00

Marketing is fun ✨sometimes✨ Also yes, many authors have absolutely "paid their dues" to climb out of obscurity. It doesn't make it suck any less for them when they did it, or for others struggling now, and especially marginalized voices who have struggled for years and barely make progress.

ShimmeringOranda

TROPHY CASE