I loved being back in the world of the Watchers!

I had so many questions on how life would continue for Mina and Caira, and what Madeline would do, after escaping the coop. A M Shine portrays grief, pain, and the struggle to readjust following a traumatic experience so well; the feelings of the characters are palpable.

I wasn't expecting to go back to the Kilmartin family but was pleasantly surprised. I think this added to the story.

This is such an amazing companion to The Watchers and very much needed to answer the questions the readers may have after book 1.

High praise for A M Shine.

A very solid sequel which overall I absolutely loved, however I personally found even though I really enjoyed getting to see Mina again that her POV's really made the book drag in certain parts, especially the first half. And I would have really liked to have seen a bit more of Sean and his teams discoveries as it felt like there was a lot of build up just for it to be over quite quickly.

As always I absolutely loved A.M. Shine's writing style, with certain scenes having me on the edge of my seat and that ending has me literally DESPERATE for another book!

Stay in the Light - A.M.Shine
4.5 🌟

The first 60% of this book gave me the same vibes as season 4 of Lost, when the cast finally get off the island and things feel so different that it's almost not even the same show - BUT is somehow still fantastic. It's quite interesting. That first 60% didn't feel like a horror novel, more of a crime thriller. But the final 40%? One of the best examples of horror I've ever read. In fact, chapter 19 left me feeling a state of dread I've never felt before. And at one point during chapter 20, a dog barked outside and I physically jumped.

I can't say much about characters without spoilers but one thing that absolutely kept up from book 1 was Shine's ability to describe a space, every single scene in this book was so clear in my mind. Which made it all the more unnerving.

If I were to nitpick, I really enjoyed the primary setting of book 1. In fact, the woods was almost a character in its own right, an integral one too. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't missed in book 2.

A must read for fans of The Watchers, clearly Shine intends this to be a trilogy as Stay In The Light is essentially a set up for a final showdown, one I greatly look forward to given my love for the first book.

Whilst I enjoyed the second it does somewhat suffer from a common problem, following the reveal of book one whilst setting the scene for a third left this installment feeling like filler.

Dr Kilmartin had a son! Who knew. A carbon copy of his father, here he is reliving those mistakes with an obsessive search for evidence of changelings, the only difference being Sean isn't working alone.
The Kilmartin theories are revisited but unchanged as a new location is unearthed with fresh surprises in store. Sean isn't likeable, in fact none of his team are, thankfully we still have Mina.

I hope for some development for Mina in the future. Stay In The Light shows us how she has survived since escaping the woodland, as bleak as her life beforehand. Living by the rules in a spiralling paranoia just waiting for the day the watchers reappear.

The watchers were the highlights of the novel, their scenes as terrifying and brutal as ever. These are the creatures I return for.

The drawing together of established characters and rise of a new bigger and stronger threat to the beautiful if dreary Irish setting has me looking forward to the final part, hopefully with a faster pace and more action.

I actually preferred this sequel to the first book, I felt the pacing was better, there was a much better building of tension, and now that the characters are referring to the bird as “the yellow one” as though it’s his name, and it’s not just the author referring to him as that randomly, I find it much less cringy.

I love the incorporation of Irish folklore, the creatures are creepy as hell, and the prose is often quite pretty and somewhat introspective, but the ending felt like a bit of a cop out so that AM Shine can turn this into a trilogy and milk it for all it’s worth. I’ll probably still read the third book but I think it could have been wrapped up pretty nicely in this one if it was slightly longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC!

A sequel to The Watchers, this very finely written book scared the bejesus out of me. Living in Ireland, unusual happenings are the norm. Tales abound here of strange goings-on and the whole South West coastal area has an air of shivering promise about it. So the story is all too real. I loved the characters, the determination to live alone and shun all but those closely known. The sisters have a complex relationship, they are quite annoying to be around sometimes, so that's like reality too! Very happy reading.

Part of a series so should probably be read in order.

More fantasy than horror, so not really my thing

Interesting enough to keep reading but I'm not longing to find out what happened next.

Having escaped the forest and concrete bunker with her life intact, Mina is now living in a cottage on Ireland's west coast. Aware that the Watchers won't stop searching for her, she desperately tries to find a way to ensure the survival of humanity. When a stranger arrives and people start disappearing, Mina knows the Watchers have found her. She now faces an uphill battle to persuade others of the immediate danger around them. Is this the beginning of the end or can she escape once more?

Stay in the Light is the sequel to The Watchers and shouldn't be read out of publication order. I didn't feel it had quite the same impact as its predecessor but I think that was to be expected — the Watchers' brutality and contempt for human life was already known after the first book. However, it was still a fantastic read and I loved discovering what happened to Mina and the others. The truth about who the Watchers are becomes clear during an archaeological dig which sets a catastrophic series of events in motion. The ending is such that a third book could possibly follow. Overall, great characters and a gripping continuation of Mina's story.

After her adventures escaping the Watchers, Mina keeps a low profile living in a coastal cottage, trying to remain unnoticed. The events she experienced at the hands of these monsters, along with Madeline's warning, make her very cautious. She is determined to prevent anyone else from going through what they did, and the presence of the Watchers must remain a secret.

Not far from there, Sean Kilmartin is determined to continue his father's research, and it seems he's on the verge of making an important discovery. Day and night, his team digs into the earth to get closer to the point where the secret is hidden. But the eagerness for discovery could unleash something terrible upon humanity.

In this novel, the lore of the Watchers expands further, offering answers to some of the questions that curious readers may have, while also introducing new avenues to explore. What were once creatures of folklore reimagined as elements of horror become, in this book, the protagonists of an almost fantastical story. This put me off a bit, as I’m not sure how far the story of the watchers could go, despite the interesting folklore behind it. The author twists it to fit into his world, which can be fine, but in the end, I found that the watchers remained quite one-dimensional.

As for the characters, Mina continues to be a character that I don’t find interesting. She felt unlikable in the first book, and in this one, she doesn’t manage to improve my impression of her. Sean is also presented from the beginning as quite an unpleasant person, although it is believable that it is his ambition blinding him. However, towards the end, each character seems on the verge of becoming a caricature. Their motives also end up being difficult to justify, ignoring the most obvious warnings and reducing the suspense to near zero.

To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the first book much, so this one probably wasn’t aimed at me. I think the book will delight those who liked the first one and it expands the universe, so fans will likely enjoy it deeply.

Moreover, its admirers will be pleased because it seems the author leaves the door open for another sequel, which I don’t think I’ll read, but it will surely continue to expand the world A.M. Shine has created using Irish folklore.

A brilliant gothic slow burn of a sequel to The Watchers, I’m still reeling from the ending!

I think this book does what every good sequel should do. We got new characters, fleshed out some character from the first novel more, the world within the book expanded and we got a clearer lore. It even set up the next book really well (there had better be a next book!)

I only give it a 4 instead of a 5 because it really took longer than I felt it needed to, to really get going. I loved setting up the scene and letting us know what Mina is doing to keep her self safe but I could have done with something more there. Just a slight pacing issue, probably a 4.5 rather than a 4 😅

But overall, I loved this and I’m so happy I got to read it already!

Its not often that I enjoy a sequel just as much, if not more, than the original book. This is a stunning follow up to the watchers. This is just my type of psychological horror tale, genuinely creepy and scary without the gore so usually used in books these days. Can hardly wait till the next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Just as good as the first and gave a deeper insight into the characters. If you have read the Watchers, definitely give this book a chance as it follows a deeper storyline into what happened after the events of the first book.

The characters are well developed and are just as complex. I was obsessed with the archaeological aspect of the book, with the expedition and dig sites as it gave Alien / Prometheus vibes which is absolutely incredible. I wish the book had focused more on this aspect as I believe it would have made for an even more fantastic read!

This book was scary, thrilling, on the edge of your seat and heart in your mouth kind of stuff. I was shouting at Mina’s sister at one point. I also suspected every single person in the book of not being who they said they were - how Mina didn’t have a breakdown I’ll never know. I really enjoyed it and the ending paves way for a third book perfectly…. What will happen next ? I for one cannot wait to know!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

After how much I loved The Watchers I went into Stay in the Light with high hopes and boy did it deliver!

The story picked up right where the first book ended and didnt skip a beat throughout. I love books with different POVs as it can cover more of the story at once and seeing both sides of this one unfold had me on edge waiting for the big bang!
After a rocky start with The Creepers (I feel that was more on me than the book) I am truly in love with A.M Shines writing style and now feel the need to dive head first into folklore research haha

I really hope there will be a third in this series! I need more now, please and thank you!

This second book to the watchers felt just as creepy as the first. It continues on with the story of the characters in the previous book and manages to capture that unsettling feeling of something looming in the near distance. It delves deeper into the lore and surfaces more truths from its origins. Overall a great sequel and will appeal to horror fans and those who havent read the watchers should definitely give it a try before picking this up.

*This review contains no spoilers for this book, but may contain some for the previous book (The Watchers) if you have not read it!*

This is the follow up book to The Watchers, this book follows the next steps of the survivors from the “Coop” after their escape from the deepest woods back to their ‘normal’ lives. Given the fact that they are constantly on edge, traumatised and no one will believe their story, this is far from easy! Mina in particular is very aware that the Watchers are out of the woods, and could be anywhere, and are definitely looking for her. Meanwhile, the son of the man who started all of this, is continuing his father’s legacy… possibly in more ways than he imagines!

Spooky, dark and steeped in Irish Folklore, with a lovely sting in the tail, this book is at least as enjoyable as it’s predecessor, and has definitely left the door open for a third instalment!

This was a fantastic sequel and I loved that we delved deeper into the mythical side of the Watchers. The sense of foreboding was present throughout. I did find myself skimming some of Mina's chapters simply because I found Sean's so fascinating, but overall loved the book.
The ending didn't feel very satisfying but I'm wondering if there's a third instalment to be had?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Considering this is a sequel to a book that was converted into a Hollywood blockbuster directed by M. Night Shyamalans' daughter and as an Irish person, I had high hopes for this book and in fairness, it only kind of delivered.

The book begins more or less where the previous one closed off, we have Mina on the run after Madeline's warning regarding The Watchers, so she has secluded herself to the west coast of Ireland in an effort to stay away from the creatures, meanwhile Ciara is trying to move on with her life that she lost without John. Madeline naturally, is off doing her own thing that we have next to no clue about!

The story begins with a throwback to David Kilmartin and over the course of the book we are introduced to a few new characters, the main of which is Sean Kilmartin, Davids son, so the Kilmartins are still a major source for the content of the book. The story is split across numerous viewpoints and we are told at the beginning of each chapter whose viewpoint we are seeing it from, which was an intriguing change from the 1st book.

The story is engaging as we go through Minas new life, Seans archeological dig, Ciara's transition without John & Madeline's adaption to life, but were it falls down considerable and my biggest gripe with the book, is when about half way through, you realise it is going to be a trilogy. The issue here being it feels like a setup for a 3rd instalment rather than being its own journey.

Shine is very adapt at writing in a way that is distinctly Irish, we are able to relate to the conversations in such a way that I would have expected to overhear them in a local pub or between friends at any time in my life, so with that I have to give Shine some props. While also being skilled writer at creating worlds that we are able to visualise with ease and immerse ourselves in (I read the book in 2 days), along with engaging dialogue and interesting characters who we develop feelings for during the course of his stories. I look forward to seeing how he ends the trilogy, but I think every reader should go into the book knowing that there is going to be another!

A perfect follow up to the best folk horror tale in years.

"Stay in the Light" opens some months after the events of "The Watchers". Mina has moved to a cottage on the secluded west coast of Ireland, hiding and drinking , while all the time watching for signs of her pursuers. Ciara is living her own life, apparently normally, while Madeleine has yet to reappear. Kilmartin's son, Sean, himself an archaeologist, is following in his father's footsteps, trying hard to prove the existence of the Watchers.

Once again, the author has dived deep into Irish folklore and produced a dark and truly scary tale of monsters and devils. There's little in the way of gore, just more of the unseen terror that made "Watchers" such a gripping tale. How their experiences in the coop have affected the characters, and how they deal with that, are profound, And as it becomes clear that the Watchers aren't done with them, or our world, Mina's attempts to convince people of their existence is filled with frustration and a growing fear for her life.

Fans of the first book will love this sequel - the story arc moves forward at a pace, and as we learn more of Kilmartin and Madeleine's past and how certain events have led us to where we are, a true feeling of horror descents on the reader. Oh, and the end is definitely worth waiting for...

Heartily recommended.

I remember really enjoying the Watchers when it came out, and even though I didn't expect a sequel, I can say it turned out better than I expected.
At moments, I have to admit I struggled to connect the two storylines: Mina trying to recover from her trauma, and the excavations in the Burren (now my next car ride has to be to the Burren, the descriptions were fantastic!), but other than that, it was a very good book, maybe a little bit less claustrophobic than the Watchers, or maybe in a different way...
A very good read overall!