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Shadow Woods
Għadek fiċ-ċans li tiġi żżurna, tafx …
“Kullimkien inħallik tmur,” kienet tgħidli; u f’leħinha kważi jirtogħod kont naqbad ħjiel ta’ diqa — “Imma hemmhekk, le.” Lanqas l-isem tal-park ma kienet tlissen, bħallikieku Shadow Woods kien sinonimu ma’ xi skandlu li kienet taf bih hi biss.
Awwissu, 2018: Taħt il-qilla tax-xemx li tikkaratterizza s-sjuf ta’ Texas, Daniel Fisher jilmaħ il-fdalijiet iltima ta’ Shadow Woods fi triqtu għal għand iz-ziju Jeff. La martu Olivia, la wliedu, u lanqas hu stess ma jafu l-istorja kollha ta’ wara t-theme park dilapidat.
Tletin sena qabel, Daniel iżur Shadow Woods għall-ewwel darba fil-fjur ta’ żgħożitu. Karużelli mlewna, terramaxki ferriħija, roti panoramiċi mdaqqsa … Qalbu tħabbat għall-faxxinu tal-park, waqt li ruħu tinħakem mill-bosk oskur bis-sigrieti makabri li jostor.
“Kullimkien inħallik tmur,” kienet tgħidli; u f’leħinha kważi jirtogħod kont naqbad ħjiel ta’ diqa — “Imma hemmhekk, le.” Lanqas l-isem tal-park ma kienet tlissen, bħallikieku Shadow Woods kien sinonimu ma’ xi skandlu li kienet taf bih hi biss.
Awwissu, 2018: Taħt il-qilla tax-xemx li tikkaratterizza s-sjuf ta’ Texas, Daniel Fisher jilmaħ il-fdalijiet iltima ta’ Shadow Woods fi triqtu għal għand iz-ziju Jeff. La martu Olivia, la wliedu, u lanqas hu stess ma jafu l-istorja kollha ta’ wara t-theme park dilapidat.
Tletin sena qabel, Daniel iżur Shadow Woods għall-ewwel darba fil-fjur ta’ żgħożitu. Karużelli mlewna, terramaxki ferriħija, roti panoramiċi mdaqqsa … Qalbu tħabbat għall-faxxinu tal-park, waqt li ruħu tinħakem mill-bosk oskur bis-sigrieti makabri li jostor.
224 pages, Paperback
Published May 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 26, 2025
Review in English: 3.5 stars. This one consists of 216 pages and its target audience consists of young adults. I enjoyed reading this novel for several reasons however what I thought was most interesting was how it's set in America and American culture does play a significant role in it too. I will be mentioning details in my English review which might not crop up in the Maltese one and vice versa. This text consists of action, adventure, and fantasy and it's rather fast-paced. The story focusses on Daniel's life and contrasts his present with the person he was 30 years priorly. Daniel decides to visit his uncle in America with his family and once he's there he begins to dwell on his past and why he'd decided to leave to begin with. Shadow Woods is a theme park prone to several accidents and by the end of the story light is shed on the reason why. The suspense Bajada manages to build reminded me of how I felt when I was reading books as are those of Five Nights at Freddy's or the third journal from Gravity Falls.
Daniel is referred to as a miracle child because he fell from several stories up and was almost paralysed. He thankfully recovered after spending some time in a coma, not of his own volition, and tells us all he experienced whilst he was knocked out. I must admit that Daniel comes across as an unreliable narrator and it would make sense for him not to be able to distinguish what he hallucinated during his coma and what happened a few days before. To add on to this, several decades have also passed, and memory suffers tremendously over time. I found this to be quite a breath of fresh air since I haven't read several books in Maltese set in another part of the world. The constant alternation between present and past to consistently reveal new information about the main character was done brilliantly and certainly built up a lot of suspense. I haven't come across several instances of the supernatural when reading texts in Maltese either and this one focussed on such a theme through inference rather than via telling the reader in a straightforward manner. Unfortunately, this did create some confusion especially towards the end, which felt rushed, when Bill was introduced. As it turns out Bill is a murderer who suffers from having no rizz whatsoever. It must be said that most of the story would have been much shorter hadn't Daniel's camera, belonging to his father, been taken from him. I really enjoyed all the references to pop culture even though many of them I haven't yet acclimatised myself with.
Riċensjoni bil-Malti: Tliet stilel u nofs. Dan hu ktieb li jikkonsisti minn 216-il paġna u miktub primarjament għal udjenza żagħżugħa. Ħadt pjaċir naqrah għal bosta raġunijiet però l-iżjed ħaġa li laqtitni kienet il-fatt li miktub f’kuntest ta’ kultura Amerikana. Il-ġeneri jaqgħu taħt il-klassifika ta’ avventura, azzjoni, u fantasija u l-kitba hi waħda ta’ stil mexxej ferm. L-istorja titratta l-ħajja ta’ Daniel, il-karattru prinċipali li jżur lil zijuh l-Amerka ma’ familtu u ta' spiss jirritorna għal tfulitu meta żar Shadow Woods ma’ sħabu u kważi spiċċa pparaliżżat għal għomru. Minflok sab ruħu f'koma fejn kellu esperjenza surreali fejn iltaqa' ma' ħabiba t'ommu li żmien twil qabel mietet Shadow Woods stess. Minkejja li l-kapitli huma pjuttost twal, il-qarrej jaf isibha diffiċli jinduna għar-raġuni li Daniel jinnarra b'mod intelliġenti ferm fejn iqabbel il-preżent mal-passat, tletin sena qabel, u jħalli l-qarrej jasal għall-konklużjoni.
Daniel hu karattru xettiku u ta’ spiss jikkwistjona jekk il-memorji tiegħu humiex affidabbli jew le u l-qarrej hekk jiġi espost għal narratur li mhux ta’ min temmen kompletament. L-istorja miktuba fl-ewwel persuna singular u għalhekk, Daniel għandu ħafna awtorità fejn għandha x’taqsam in-narrattiva. Jirrakkonta wkoll kif ħajtu nqalbet ta’ taħt fuq wara li mitulu xi membri tal-familja. Naħseb li dawn id-dettalji huma importanti għax iwasslu lil Daniel sabiex jirrakkonta b’mod iżjed immaġinattiv dak li jseħħ ġewwa Shadow Woods u kif ukoll dak li seħħ tletin sena qabel. Mhux soltu naqra rumanz bil-Malti li ssettjat f’pajjiż differenti u miktub b’mod li jista’ jinftiehem minn kull tip ta' qarrej minkejja l-fatt li l-konklużjoni kienet pjuttost mgħaġġla u kont napprezza iżjed kuntest u spjegazzjoni iżjed ċara rigward il-karattru ta' Bill li huwa qattiel u bniedem ta' ftit rizz tassew. Ħafna minn dak li seħħ seta' ġie evitat li kieku l-kamera ta' Daniel, li kien tah missieru, ma ħaduhielux grupp boloh għajjurin.
Daniel is referred to as a miracle child because he fell from several stories up and was almost paralysed. He thankfully recovered after spending some time in a coma, not of his own volition, and tells us all he experienced whilst he was knocked out. I must admit that Daniel comes across as an unreliable narrator and it would make sense for him not to be able to distinguish what he hallucinated during his coma and what happened a few days before. To add on to this, several decades have also passed, and memory suffers tremendously over time. I found this to be quite a breath of fresh air since I haven't read several books in Maltese set in another part of the world. The constant alternation between present and past to consistently reveal new information about the main character was done brilliantly and certainly built up a lot of suspense. I haven't come across several instances of the supernatural when reading texts in Maltese either and this one focussed on such a theme through inference rather than via telling the reader in a straightforward manner. Unfortunately, this did create some confusion especially towards the end, which felt rushed, when Bill was introduced. As it turns out Bill is a murderer who suffers from having no rizz whatsoever. It must be said that most of the story would have been much shorter hadn't Daniel's camera, belonging to his father, been taken from him. I really enjoyed all the references to pop culture even though many of them I haven't yet acclimatised myself with.
Riċensjoni bil-Malti: Tliet stilel u nofs. Dan hu ktieb li jikkonsisti minn 216-il paġna u miktub primarjament għal udjenza żagħżugħa. Ħadt pjaċir naqrah għal bosta raġunijiet però l-iżjed ħaġa li laqtitni kienet il-fatt li miktub f’kuntest ta’ kultura Amerikana. Il-ġeneri jaqgħu taħt il-klassifika ta’ avventura, azzjoni, u fantasija u l-kitba hi waħda ta’ stil mexxej ferm. L-istorja titratta l-ħajja ta’ Daniel, il-karattru prinċipali li jżur lil zijuh l-Amerka ma’ familtu u ta' spiss jirritorna għal tfulitu meta żar Shadow Woods ma’ sħabu u kważi spiċċa pparaliżżat għal għomru. Minflok sab ruħu f'koma fejn kellu esperjenza surreali fejn iltaqa' ma' ħabiba t'ommu li żmien twil qabel mietet Shadow Woods stess. Minkejja li l-kapitli huma pjuttost twal, il-qarrej jaf isibha diffiċli jinduna għar-raġuni li Daniel jinnarra b'mod intelliġenti ferm fejn iqabbel il-preżent mal-passat, tletin sena qabel, u jħalli l-qarrej jasal għall-konklużjoni.
Daniel hu karattru xettiku u ta’ spiss jikkwistjona jekk il-memorji tiegħu humiex affidabbli jew le u l-qarrej hekk jiġi espost għal narratur li mhux ta’ min temmen kompletament. L-istorja miktuba fl-ewwel persuna singular u għalhekk, Daniel għandu ħafna awtorità fejn għandha x’taqsam in-narrattiva. Jirrakkonta wkoll kif ħajtu nqalbet ta’ taħt fuq wara li mitulu xi membri tal-familja. Naħseb li dawn id-dettalji huma importanti għax iwasslu lil Daniel sabiex jirrakkonta b’mod iżjed immaġinattiv dak li jseħħ ġewwa Shadow Woods u kif ukoll dak li seħħ tletin sena qabel. Mhux soltu naqra rumanz bil-Malti li ssettjat f’pajjiż differenti u miktub b’mod li jista’ jinftiehem minn kull tip ta' qarrej minkejja l-fatt li l-konklużjoni kienet pjuttost mgħaġġla u kont napprezza iżjed kuntest u spjegazzjoni iżjed ċara rigward il-karattru ta' Bill li huwa qattiel u bniedem ta' ftit rizz tassew. Ħafna minn dak li seħħ seta' ġie evitat li kieku l-kamera ta' Daniel, li kien tah missieru, ma ħaduhielux grupp boloh għajjurin.
May 22, 2024
roller coaster ta’ rumanz, mit-titlu sal-ħarsetta
September 7, 2024
Li taqra dan il-ktieb hija esperjenza sabiħa, fantastika u eċitanti. Grazzi u proset mistħoqqa lil Roberta tal-vjaġġ fl-immaġnazzjoni tagħha li qasmet magħna b'mod tant elokwenti.
December 1, 2024
Fil-ħajja ngħaddu minn mumenti li jafu jħallu l-marka tagħhom fuqna. Uħud iqanqlu ferħ. Oħrajn jigirfuna.
Fir-rumanz 'Shadow Woods' ta' Roberta Bajada jirnexxilha talterna bejn il-preżent u l-passat b'mod li bla ma jrid il-qarrej jispiċċa jirrifletti fuq l-eżistenza. Kemm mingħalina l-passat iebes, la għadda, jibqa' mistur. Imma mhux dejjem il-każ.
F'din in-nisġa tal-plot l-awtriċi tħallat il-misteru man-nostalġija. Il-protagonist Daniel Fisher, jidħol fi vjaġġ emozzjonali lura għall-passat biex jiskopri verita' moħbija. Matul il-kitba anke l-qarrej jiġi mqanqal minn nostalġija għal żmien it-tmeninijiet u d-disgħinijiet meta jissemmew il-VHS tapes, xi reklami u karattri oħra li spikkaw f'dawn iż-żminijiet. Permezz t'hekk nista' ngħid li l-kitba ssir aktar awtentika u reali.
Madankollu r-reali mhuwiex l-uniku element fl-istorja. Bajada bl-immaġinazzjoni u l-kreattività tagħha jirnexxilha toħloq dinja maġika kemm biex tgħaqqad mill-protagonist mal-passat tiegħu imma anke sabiex lill-qarrej iżżommu mwaħħal mal-ktieb.
Huwa rumanz addattat għall-adolexxenti minn tlettax sa tmintax-il sena u għall-adulti.
Fir-rumanz 'Shadow Woods' ta' Roberta Bajada jirnexxilha talterna bejn il-preżent u l-passat b'mod li bla ma jrid il-qarrej jispiċċa jirrifletti fuq l-eżistenza. Kemm mingħalina l-passat iebes, la għadda, jibqa' mistur. Imma mhux dejjem il-każ.
F'din in-nisġa tal-plot l-awtriċi tħallat il-misteru man-nostalġija. Il-protagonist Daniel Fisher, jidħol fi vjaġġ emozzjonali lura għall-passat biex jiskopri verita' moħbija. Matul il-kitba anke l-qarrej jiġi mqanqal minn nostalġija għal żmien it-tmeninijiet u d-disgħinijiet meta jissemmew il-VHS tapes, xi reklami u karattri oħra li spikkaw f'dawn iż-żminijiet. Permezz t'hekk nista' ngħid li l-kitba ssir aktar awtentika u reali.
Madankollu r-reali mhuwiex l-uniku element fl-istorja. Bajada bl-immaġinazzjoni u l-kreattività tagħha jirnexxilha toħloq dinja maġika kemm biex tgħaqqad mill-protagonist mal-passat tiegħu imma anke sabiex lill-qarrej iżżommu mwaħħal mal-ktieb.
Huwa rumanz addattat għall-adolexxenti minn tlettax sa tmintax-il sena u għall-adulti.
May 9, 2026
Roberta Bajada is best known for her fiction for teens. Novels such as Arloġġ u Tila and its sequel Arlekkin Isfar combine elements of fantasy, time travel, mystery and adventure in a blend that appeals particularly to that age group.
Shadow Woods, winner of the 2025 Terramaxka Prize for Children and Young Adults in the Young Adult Literature category, is directed at older readers and carries a darker edge, drawing on the haunted, unsettling small-town Americana associated with authors such as Stephen King. The novel revolves around an abandoned theme park deep in the Texas woodlands. In August 2018, after learning that his uncle is terminally ill, Daniel returns with his wife and two young children to the place where he grew up, hoping to heal rifts that had arisen three decades earlier. The tragic events that led to this estrangement were closely connected to the nearby theme park of Shadow Woods, once at its height in the 1980s and now lying decrepit, awaiting dismantling. As memories resurface and past mysteries are revived, Daniel must dig deep to seek closure and justice for long-buried wrongs.
I must admit that, while the subject intrigued me, I initially harboured some misgivings about the “authenticity” of a novel by a Maltese author, written in Maltese, yet set in the United States. Would it stand up against similar works by American writers who would know the setting at first hand? It did not take long to realise how unfair and limiting such doubts and prejudices were. After all, I routinely read fiction in English set in a wide range of places without raising such objections. Nor should authors be confined to what they have directly experienced; that would be a sorry constraint on the imagination. Setting these reservations aside, I delved into the book and was quickly hooked.
The novel rests on a solid plot, rich in mysteries and gradually disclosed secrets that sustain the reader’s interest. The story itself might not particularly novel and in part relies on some tried-and-tested horror and suspense tropes. Yet Bajada introduces enough distinctive touches to set it apart: the interplay of crime and the supernatural, for instance, and a strikingly imaginative, dreamlike sequence depicting David’s near-death experience. Having grown up in the 1980s, I also appreciated the attentive evocation of the decade through well-judged references to popular culture. One suspects that the novel will not only resonate with its target YA audience, but also with not-so-young adults seeking a good story and a fix of nostalgia.
3.5*
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
Shadow Woods, winner of the 2025 Terramaxka Prize for Children and Young Adults in the Young Adult Literature category, is directed at older readers and carries a darker edge, drawing on the haunted, unsettling small-town Americana associated with authors such as Stephen King. The novel revolves around an abandoned theme park deep in the Texas woodlands. In August 2018, after learning that his uncle is terminally ill, Daniel returns with his wife and two young children to the place where he grew up, hoping to heal rifts that had arisen three decades earlier. The tragic events that led to this estrangement were closely connected to the nearby theme park of Shadow Woods, once at its height in the 1980s and now lying decrepit, awaiting dismantling. As memories resurface and past mysteries are revived, Daniel must dig deep to seek closure and justice for long-buried wrongs.
I must admit that, while the subject intrigued me, I initially harboured some misgivings about the “authenticity” of a novel by a Maltese author, written in Maltese, yet set in the United States. Would it stand up against similar works by American writers who would know the setting at first hand? It did not take long to realise how unfair and limiting such doubts and prejudices were. After all, I routinely read fiction in English set in a wide range of places without raising such objections. Nor should authors be confined to what they have directly experienced; that would be a sorry constraint on the imagination. Setting these reservations aside, I delved into the book and was quickly hooked.
The novel rests on a solid plot, rich in mysteries and gradually disclosed secrets that sustain the reader’s interest. The story itself might not particularly novel and in part relies on some tried-and-tested horror and suspense tropes. Yet Bajada introduces enough distinctive touches to set it apart: the interplay of crime and the supernatural, for instance, and a strikingly imaginative, dreamlike sequence depicting David’s near-death experience. Having grown up in the 1980s, I also appreciated the attentive evocation of the decade through well-judged references to popular culture. One suspects that the novel will not only resonate with its target YA audience, but also with not-so-young adults seeking a good story and a fix of nostalgia.
3.5*
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
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