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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is atmospheric in just the right ways. The premise drew me in right away, with music and ghosts and a mystery at the heart of the story. For me, this is what carries the story. Waters excels at writing this world and pulling the reader into this southern gothic mystery.
However, I felt like the story itself got a little muddy in the middle of the book. There is a fairly large cast of characters, and many of the side characters aren't fully developed. I wanted to see more from Shady and her friends, to help flesh out the story a little more.
However, I felt like the story itself got a little muddy in the middle of the book. There is a fairly large cast of characters, and many of the side characters aren't fully developed. I wanted to see more from Shady and her friends, to help flesh out the story a little more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Homophobia
i have a new obsession and it's called southern gothic.
atmospheric? check
eerie? check
moody? check
incredible? check
i highly recommend the audiobook. the narrator has the most delicious southern drawl and i could listen to her saying "says" all day long.
i do wish the secondary characters got more time in the limelight. this book is very protagonist-centred, and, although she is lovely, the other characters are also lovely and i wanted to see more of them. i feel like the author only scratched the surface of who they are. only one of the LI (yes, there's a love triangle; no, i didn't like it) really gets the chance to shine.
(at one point the narrator thinks "am i really worried about my love life when a ghost is trying to kill me?" and would you look at that, i was thinking exactly same thing.)
atmospheric? check
eerie? check
moody? check
incredible? check
i highly recommend the audiobook. the narrator has the most delicious southern drawl and i could listen to her saying "says" all day long.
i do wish the secondary characters got more time in the limelight. this book is very protagonist-centred, and, although she is lovely, the other characters are also lovely and i wanted to see more of them. i feel like the author only scratched the surface of who they are. only one of the LI (yes, there's a love triangle; no, i didn't like it) really gets the chance to shine.
(at one point the narrator thinks "am i really worried about my love life when a ghost is trying to kill me?" and would you look at that, i was thinking exactly same thing.)
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so captivating and atmospheric, the perfect story to get lost in. So many threads weave together and keep you hooked—from dating to murder to family secrets, it's all here. It's dark and sad, dotted with moments of sweetness and characters you quickly get attached to.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ghost wood song is a story of grief, heritage and hidden family history. Lead by its characters and their will, it starts slowly to put the scene of the novel into place, to immerse us into this very peculiar family, and this very peculiar kind-of-magic system. I am not against a slow start when what follows can keep it up and catch my attention. It this one, that is not what happened to me. For the first half of the book, I didn’t want to DNF this book for the simple reason that, some times, something amazing can happen as the midpoint of a story. Something did happen here, but it was way too predictable for me. I was expecting some chocking events, anything that could show me I’ve been misled all this time, but that never happened. I feel like my read of the second half of the book was just about giving it another chance, over and over again.
This is a novel in which I would have expected the author to take a little more risks, but there is something I can’t keep from the story: the love triangle is daring. I didn’t like the way it’s built or the way it evolves, but it is rare to see a character torn between their love for a woman, and their love for a man. I found this part very interesting indeed, but once again it did not reach my expectations. I am nonetheless going, to be honest with you: I don’t like love triangles in general, so there was little chance it would change now. Even though I would have loved it, for the genders of the characters.
See more here > https://thebookishgarden.com/2021/01/...
This is a novel in which I would have expected the author to take a little more risks, but there is something I can’t keep from the story: the love triangle is daring. I didn’t like the way it’s built or the way it evolves, but it is rare to see a character torn between their love for a woman, and their love for a man. I found this part very interesting indeed, but once again it did not reach my expectations. I am nonetheless going, to be honest with you: I don’t like love triangles in general, so there was little chance it would change now. Even though I would have loved it, for the genders of the characters.
See more here > https://thebookishgarden.com/2021/01/...
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, Blood
DNF at 50%
I do not have any problems with this book. The reason that I am DNFing it is beacuse first of all I thought that it would be set in a fantasy world and not be told more like a contemporary with some magical elements (totally my fault) and second of all I pick it up in the middle of my reading slump and I haven't read anything more in 2 weeks so I am just feeling like the probability that I will finish this book is really low.
I do not have any problems with this book. The reason that I am DNFing it is beacuse first of all I thought that it would be set in a fantasy world and not be told more like a contemporary with some magical elements (totally my fault) and second of all I pick it up in the middle of my reading slump and I haven't read anything more in 2 weeks so I am just feeling like the probability that I will finish this book is really low.
The premise sounded incredible, but I don't feel that Ghost Wood Song really lived up to it. It took me a long time to get into the story, and I never became invested in the characters which made the family drama (which was the bulk of the story) fall flat. The eerie, atmospheric, ghosty bits were great, but few and far between - definitely nowhere near as spooky as I had expected.
3.7 stars
"Daddy always said twilight was good for ghost raising because it’s an in-between time, when the barrier between worlds seems to grow thin as tissue paper and the ghosts are at their lonesomest." ~ [b:Ghost Wood Song|53098065|Ghost Wood Song|Erica Waters|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576126814l/53098065._SX50_SY75_.jpg|63892625]
Definitely enjoyed this unusual story, but I wish the plot hadn't moved at a glacial pace. Like the suspense was there already, so the slow pace felt heavy. The story didn't start picking up until halfway through, but that's when the story grew compelling. The fiddle is almost like a character itself - it's crazy that such an ordinary object can advance the plot forward. Also, the mystery of who killed Jim kept me going all the way until the epilogue.
This story was difficult to get into, especially with all the side characters. Like I know it's important to the story that Shady has such a big family, but I only cared about Aunt Ena! The rest of the characters felt underdeveloped or frustrating to read about; like Kenneth's loyalties were all over the place and Shady's mother never listened to what her daughter had to say! The only character I could root for was Shady. It was intriguing to learn more about the fiddle's backstory and if it was magical or not. This novel bends and plays with reality so much that sometimes it feels like you're reading a contemporary fiction story, other times the paranormal element is super strong! My favorite moment was when the Shadow Man's identity was revealed...I did not see that one coming! Overall this story was a fun read, but the unrelenting suspense was too much for me.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"I linger in the woods after Sarah and Orlando head home. The sun has gone down, and the woods are hushed, shadows spilling like ink through the trees."
"I’ve lived with ghosts my whole life, but this is the first time I’ve ever felt haunted."
"'I’m not Veronica Mars, teen detective,' I say, crossing my arms."
"'Aren’t you tired of it, Aunt Ena?' I say. 'Tired of what, darlin’?' 'Tired of letting the Franks of the world make us scared?' I glance at her and see her shudder, wrapping her arms around herself...Should I take you home first, Aunt Ena?' She’s quiet a long time. 'No, don’t take me home.'"
"But then I realize the person you choose to love isn’t the one who shows up when you ask them to. It’s the person who shows up even when you don’t. Maybe even when you don’t want them to. Sarah would have come if I’d asked, but I didn’t have to ask Cedar."
"Daddy always said twilight was good for ghost raising because it’s an in-between time, when the barrier between worlds seems to grow thin as tissue paper and the ghosts are at their lonesomest." ~ [b:Ghost Wood Song|53098065|Ghost Wood Song|Erica Waters|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576126814l/53098065._SX50_SY75_.jpg|63892625]
Definitely enjoyed this unusual story, but I wish the plot hadn't moved at a glacial pace. Like the suspense was there already, so the slow pace felt heavy. The story didn't start picking up until halfway through, but that's when the story grew compelling. The fiddle is almost like a character itself - it's crazy that such an ordinary object can advance the plot forward. Also, the mystery of who killed Jim kept me going all the way until the epilogue.
This story was difficult to get into, especially with all the side characters. Like I know it's important to the story that Shady has such a big family, but I only cared about Aunt Ena! The rest of the characters felt underdeveloped or frustrating to read about; like Kenneth's loyalties were all over the place and Shady's mother never listened to what her daughter had to say! The only character I could root for was Shady. It was intriguing to learn more about the fiddle's backstory and if it was magical or not. This novel bends and plays with reality so much that sometimes it feels like you're reading a contemporary fiction story, other times the paranormal element is super strong! My favorite moment was when the Shadow Man's identity was revealed...I did not see that one coming! Overall this story was a fun read, but the unrelenting suspense was too much for me.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"I linger in the woods after Sarah and Orlando head home. The sun has gone down, and the woods are hushed, shadows spilling like ink through the trees."
"I’ve lived with ghosts my whole life, but this is the first time I’ve ever felt haunted."
"'I’m not Veronica Mars, teen detective,' I say, crossing my arms."
"'Aren’t you tired of it, Aunt Ena?' I say. 'Tired of what, darlin’?' 'Tired of letting the Franks of the world make us scared?' I glance at her and see her shudder, wrapping her arms around herself...Should I take you home first, Aunt Ena?' She’s quiet a long time. 'No, don’t take me home.'"
"But then I realize the person you choose to love isn’t the one who shows up when you ask them to. It’s the person who shows up even when you don’t. Maybe even when you don’t want them to. Sarah would have come if I’d asked, but I didn’t have to ask Cedar."
This one had a lot of atmosphere with real grit! The dialogue was wonderful and I seriously loved the adorable romance sprinkled in! It makes me want to go buy some cowboy boots right now! Oh and also have my own ghosty violin!