Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
*This book was given to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
This was an amazing paranormal and LGBTQ+ read. It's about a girl named Shady Grove who inherits her father's ability to call ghosts with his fiddle. Her brother is accused of murder and Shady uses her dad's fiddle to call the ghosts which bring darkness into their world. The book takes place in a Louisiana swamp which is amazing for this gothic book to take place. The way the author described it was amazing because I loved the dark, gothic vibe throughout this book. The pacing was well done, and I also thought the characters were well done too.
Shady Grove is bisexual and is the one who can call the ghosts. I loved how not only did she discover the mystery of who accused her brother or murder but also sought out to find the mystery of her family. There were many supporting characters in this book and they helped Shady grow throughout the book and to keep her away from the fiddle's darkness. There was a problem with the supporting characters. Sometimes I felt that they were knocked off the scenes as if they weren't important and only focused on two people at a time. That was my only problem with the book.
I loved the way the author ended the story with Shady getting her answers and something else which I can't spoil. Now I see why many book boxes are curating this book because it was well done and it is such a unique story. I mean have you read a book about a fiddle bringing ghosts to your world... I haven't. I do recommend this read if you want to read a gothic, southern book.
This was an amazing paranormal and LGBTQ+ read. It's about a girl named Shady Grove who inherits her father's ability to call ghosts with his fiddle. Her brother is accused of murder and Shady uses her dad's fiddle to call the ghosts which bring darkness into their world. The book takes place in a Louisiana swamp which is amazing for this gothic book to take place. The way the author described it was amazing because I loved the dark, gothic vibe throughout this book. The pacing was well done, and I also thought the characters were well done too.
Shady Grove is bisexual and is the one who can call the ghosts. I loved how not only did she discover the mystery of who accused her brother or murder but also sought out to find the mystery of her family. There were many supporting characters in this book and they helped Shady grow throughout the book and to keep her away from the fiddle's darkness. There was a problem with the supporting characters. Sometimes I felt that they were knocked off the scenes as if they weren't important and only focused on two people at a time. That was my only problem with the book.
I loved the way the author ended the story with Shady getting her answers and something else which I can't spoil. Now I see why many book boxes are curating this book because it was well done and it is such a unique story. I mean have you read a book about a fiddle bringing ghosts to your world... I haven't. I do recommend this read if you want to read a gothic, southern book.
Started out a bit slow but grew on me towards the end! I also enjoyed the romance, there were some love triangle vibes but in a realistic way.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
This is what evil is - not some unnatural force, not demons or devils. It's this right here - a man clinging so hard to hate it's worth dying for.
Family trauma manifests as real ghosts and additional trauma. Solid cast of characters and strong POV from our girl Shady.
4/5 for the weird love triangle, but 5/5 for everything else. I do wish the audiobook had some soundscaping but oh well.
4/5 for the weird love triangle, but 5/5 for everything else. I do wish the audiobook had some soundscaping but oh well.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was an amazing book that had me absolutely enamored once I got past the first quarter of the book, which felt pretty slow.
This book follows the story of Shady Grove, a young girl plagued by family secrets. When the secrets threaten her brother, she races to find her dad's fiddle. Why? Because it can raise ghosts, and she needs to know what happened. She doesn't realize she's getting more than she bargained for by picking up that fiddle....
I loved the character development throughout this book, and I even really enjoyed the addition of love interests. I found most of the characters incredibly endearing, and I'd definitely recommend this book. I could definitely foresee some of the ending coming... but definitely not all!
This book follows the story of Shady Grove, a young girl plagued by family secrets. When the secrets threaten her brother, she races to find her dad's fiddle. Why? Because it can raise ghosts, and she needs to know what happened. She doesn't realize she's getting more than she bargained for by picking up that fiddle....
I loved the character development throughout this book, and I even really enjoyed the addition of love interests. I found most of the characters incredibly endearing, and I'd definitely recommend this book. I could definitely foresee some of the ending coming... but definitely not all!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder
I feel like people aren't talking about this book nearly as much as they should be.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I felt a little let down by this one. Maybe that’s partially on me for building it up in my head for months before I read it, but it’s not entirely because of that.
This book had a really cool idea, and I was quite excited to read it and see how it played out, but it wasn’t what I had expected. There are a few overlapping subplots that feel less like an addition to the plot and more like a distraction from it.
The relationships also felt… I don’t want to say forced, but it didn’t feel natural or casual.
I think it had a unique and interesting plot/theme/idea, but the execution felt lacking in places, like some parts had been written as a draft and left underdeveloped. Scenes that should have delivered a hard emotional hit felt hollow.
I still enjoyed the book and am glad I took the time to read it, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be.
This book had a really cool idea, and I was quite excited to read it and see how it played out, but it wasn’t what I had expected. There are a few overlapping subplots that feel less like an addition to the plot and more like a distraction from it.
The relationships also felt… I don’t want to say forced, but it didn’t feel natural or casual.
I think it had a unique and interesting plot/theme/idea, but the execution felt lacking in places, like some parts had been written as a draft and left underdeveloped. Scenes that should have delivered a hard emotional hit felt hollow.
I still enjoyed the book and am glad I took the time to read it, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be.