Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When Shapes Take Hold by Avery Wilde was a unique read and not a book I typically read. I really enjoyed the author's writing style. The storytelling was immersive, the characters were well-developed, and the level of detail helped bring them to life. I especially enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching their stories unfold throughout the book.
The premise was interesting and kept me invested for much of the novel. However, while I enjoyed the journey overall, I found that the pacing slowed considerably toward the end. The final portion of the book felt stretched out, making it harder for me to stay fully connected and engaged through the last twenty pages or so.
Overall, this was a solid read with strong writing, memorable characters, and an engaging story.

Glass Lodge in the Pacific Northwest of the United States is the evocative setting for this novel, the first in the Cascadia Mysteries series. Though it is categorized as a mystery/thriller, for me it was more of a General Fiction story. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the wilderness setting complete with a fjord, estuary and ocean (I live in a similar environment so my heart was hooked and reeled in immediately). Wildlife conservation, stewardship, illegal crab traps, wildlife trafficking, and restoration are key components to this story. Oyster information and tidepools bring me joy in real life as well.

Mike owns Glass Lodge and is deeply disturbed when two dogs discover something sinister meant to be kept quiet. But as the owner, blame falls squarely on him as he is so close to the action. Cole and Sam are keen to get to the bottom of the secrets, along with detectives. Amongst them are secret tunnels. Side stories are well written, too. And the dogs, of course, are amongst the most important and endearing characters.

My sincere thank you to Cascadia Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this enthralling novel. I am looking forward to the rest of the series!

While When Shapes Takes Hold seems to be described as a mystery or thriller, however I found it to be much more of a slice-of-life novel that happens to contain those elements…but to be fair, I actually quite enjoyed this.

I picked up the book for the story, but ended up becoming just as interested in the landscape and why it needs protecting- with the author weaving in the biology and ecology of the area within the storyline well. I’ve never lived by the sea in anything like this way, yet the descriptions made it feel easy to imagine. I also really enjoyed the main character’s observations as an architect. It isn’t a perspective you come across very often, and I thought it added something unique to the novel.

Overall, this was an atmospheric read that was as much about place and people as it was about mystery. I will say- I would have liked to know more about characters from the onset, but apparently this is book 2 so guessing this is a fault of my own! 😅

Thank you Netgalley and Cascadia books for the advanced copy! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was immersive, descriptive, great imagery throughout the story and knowledgeable and informative. It's fascinating to see from Coles architecture standpoint and what we perceives through his eyes. The structures, body of water and sound and how people interact within that structure and how it contributes to a bigger picture. Michael who is the owner of the Lodge who has taken the time over the past 30 years to enstill trust with the people of the community, staff and local fisherman as they both now navigate through a crisis of illegal crab traps being found by the two dogs. This turned into a huge concern for the community as the Lodge was to be blamed as the investigation unfolds. The worrysome about public opinion and rumors could change how everything is looked at and those opinions that surfaced could lead to wrong info getting out. The great fear of about the fish, the Fjord, mammals and the community shift brought greater tensions. With everything caving in around Cole and Michael the tensions are rising as they try to seek answers of what has occurred. Sometimes silence shows the bigger picture when words are not spoken.

"You can't fix foundation rot with an optimistic news letter."

"I've been building this place for thirty years. And someone with a camera and a rumor can tear down what we took decades to earn."

"Purpose isn't something you find in the big moments. It's why you can between them."