Book Review | The Watchers by A. M. Shine

During a road trip to deliver a parrot for her friend, Peter, Mina’s car breaks down on the edge of a forest. Trapped in the middle of nowhere, she stumbles into a bunker where three other people live. But there are rules to stay in the shelter. Because the Watchers are watching. Who are the Watchers and what are they seeking?

What his mind conceived was influenced only by the sounds behind the mirror, where they watched them night after night for reasons unknown, as a child stares into a fishbowl, tapping its glass.

The Watchers is a claustrophobic survival horror that takes place mainly in one setting. After losing her way on a road trip, Mina finds herself seeking shelter in a concrete bunker in a forest in the middle of nowhere. One of the rooms is made up of a wall of glass where an electric light activates at night and she is supposed to stay in the room until sunrise. She cannot sleep or do anything else because that would risk the wrath of the Watchers.

The book opens with the character John who is trying to escape the bunker. We see him meet his fate and it’s not pretty. Mina is the outsider who wants answers, and I was rooting for her to get to the bottom of this mystery. Madeline takes on a stern motherly role to protect everyone. She has a set of rules and believes they must be followed to survive. Ciara is a widow who has a hard time dealing with the situation. Daniel is a teenager with a dark past who is desperate for approval. Their differences had to be put aside if they were to survive, and I thought the book handled the conflict well. The multiple POVs helped to show other sides of the characters and gave me an emotional investment in them.

Initially, I thought the premise was interesting but I was full of questions. If the Watchers only come out at night, why don’t they try to leave during the day? But the book addresses these questions convincingly and shows what happens when the characters fail to make it to the bunker before the light is switched on. The tension and suspense are palpable, especially when the characters are racing against time. There are some terrifying scenes of the Watchers wreaking havoc and the danger feels tangible. The bunker is described in detail so I could easily imagine how it’s meant to look.

I really liked the reveal about who the Watchers are, which involves ancient Irish mythology. However, the ending feels rushed and veers in an entirely different direction. There is potential for more stories involving the Watchers but for me, the bunker scenes were the scariest and most effective parts of the book.

Intense and thrilling, The Watchers is a great debut and a solid addition to the survival horror subgenre. This would be perfect for fans Bird Box and A Quiet Place!

I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes.

2024 Update: The Watchers has been adapted into a movie releasing in June 2024! It’s written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan,, and stars Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, and Oliver Finnegan.  Check out the trailer.

About the author: A.M. Shine

Photo by Ali Goldstein