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teastarsandbooks's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you so much to Random House Children's Books/Delacorte Press for allowing me to read the e-arc of OUR WICKED HISTORIES. This review is entirely my own thoughts and opinions!
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
OUR WICKED HISTORIES is a captivating tale of Irish mythology, murder mystery, and the complexities of private school friendships and relationships. Meg is a scholarship student to a prestigious private school and somehow managed to become friends with the "in" crowd at the school—until disaster struck at the Midsummer Ball and suddenly she's at risk of being expelled and abandoned by her friends. When an invitation to a Halloween Party at the Wren ancestral Ireland family home arrives for her, she jumps at it, hoping to be able to make amends with her friends and keep her place at the school secured. What seemed like a weekend of fun, shenanigans and making amends soon turns into a nightmare as Meg begins to uncover secrets and her friends go missing.
MY THOUGHTS:
You ever finish a book and just kinda sit there wondering how the heck you're gonna write a review for this book because it was just so dang good it completely melted your brain into head empty no thoughts only happy 5 star book vibes? Yea, this book did that to me.
From the start, the book captivated me and its pages turned, the harder it became to put it down. It's a multi-timeline story, bouncing between the current events of Meg and crew's stay at the Wren Manor and the past, focusing on her relationships with the circle and how things fell apart. Normally, this form of storytelling can put me off because I get irritated with the constant cliffhangers each timeline is paused on, but I was so invested in how Meg got to where she is and what happened at the Midsummer Ball and what is happening now that the switches in timeline never bothered me. The author also did a fantastic job of tying in the past with the present. Each time there was a switch from present to past, the past almost always tied in somehow to the present, giving reasons to each individual's reactions and relationships with each other. It was incredibly well done and very well thought out.
This is my first time indulging in Amy Goldsmith's writing and oh my goodness, its a treat! She keeps the atmosphere tight, never deviating from the spooky, ominous feeling that hangs over this tale. Even when we delve into the past, the ominous feeling still hangs over it with the knowledge that something happened at the Midsummer Ball and we're creeping ever closer to the reveal as tensions heighten, both in the past and in the present. I greatly appreciated the aspect of the paranormal with the inclusion on the Irish lore of the baen sí. It was just flat out creepy and lended the tale a plethora of nail biting moments.
In regards to the characters, good lord, we've got toxic, self obsessed, desperate, shady, loyal, uppity, over the top, insecure, vapid—all rolled into one discordant group of friends. It makes for fantastic tension as you wonder if the disappearances are caused by one of them or if the legend of the banshee is real. There were really no characters that were misses for me, even if certain personalities irked me.
Overall, this was an AMAZING read for me. My head is still reeling from the ending. Fantastically spooky and the kind of horror I love to treat myself to.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
OUR WICKED HISTORIES is a captivating tale of Irish mythology, murder mystery, and the complexities of private school friendships and relationships. Meg is a scholarship student to a prestigious private school and somehow managed to become friends with the "in" crowd at the school—until disaster struck at the Midsummer Ball and suddenly she's at risk of being expelled and abandoned by her friends. When an invitation to a Halloween Party at the Wren ancestral Ireland family home arrives for her, she jumps at it, hoping to be able to make amends with her friends and keep her place at the school secured. What seemed like a weekend of fun, shenanigans and making amends soon turns into a nightmare as Meg begins to uncover secrets and her friends go missing.
MY THOUGHTS:
You ever finish a book and just kinda sit there wondering how the heck you're gonna write a review for this book because it was just so dang good it completely melted your brain into head empty no thoughts only happy 5 star book vibes? Yea, this book did that to me.
From the start, the book captivated me and its pages turned, the harder it became to put it down. It's a multi-timeline story, bouncing between the current events of Meg and crew's stay at the Wren Manor and the past, focusing on her relationships with the circle and how things fell apart. Normally, this form of storytelling can put me off because I get irritated with the constant cliffhangers each timeline is paused on, but I was so invested in how Meg got to where she is and what happened at the Midsummer Ball and what is happening now that the switches in timeline never bothered me. The author also did a fantastic job of tying in the past with the present. Each time there was a switch from present to past, the past almost always tied in somehow to the present, giving reasons to each individual's reactions and relationships with each other. It was incredibly well done and very well thought out.
This is my first time indulging in Amy Goldsmith's writing and oh my goodness, its a treat! She keeps the atmosphere tight, never deviating from the spooky, ominous feeling that hangs over this tale. Even when we delve into the past, the ominous feeling still hangs over it with the knowledge that something happened at the Midsummer Ball and we're creeping ever closer to the reveal as tensions heighten, both in the past and in the present. I greatly appreciated the aspect of the paranormal with the inclusion on the Irish lore of the baen sí. It was just flat out creepy and lended the tale a plethora of nail biting moments.
In regards to the characters, good lord, we've got toxic, self obsessed, desperate, shady, loyal, uppity, over the top, insecure, vapid—all rolled into one discordant group of friends. It makes for fantastic tension as you wonder if the disappearances are caused by one of them or if the legend of the banshee is real. There were really no characters that were misses for me, even if certain personalities irked me.
Overall, this was an AMAZING read for me. My head is still reeling from the ending. Fantastically spooky and the kind of horror I love to treat myself to.
haliespages's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
tatbookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
5 ⭐
I absolutely loved everything about OUR WICKED HISTORIES. I've always been a fan of paranormal things: ghosts, spirits, etc---and this book was exactly that. Let's just say what happens at Wren Hall is creepy. OUR WICKED HISTORIES is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat paranormal thriller. It's full of hauntings and murder, which adds to the ambiance of the entire book: gothic, haunting, and kind of creepy. There's so much to this book. The writing was perfectly descriptive, and the banter(between Meg and Seb especially) added an extra layer to an already great storyline. OUR WICKED HISTORIES, and it all came down to their histories. It was just somthing else. OUR WICKED HISTORIES is a must read in 2024 if you like mysteries, thrillers, suspense, drama, hauntings and revenge, and, of course, and ending that you may not see coming bc I didn't.
What I Liked About It:
*all of the drama between everyone
*the stories the locals told
*the 'lady' in the water getting the inevitable revenge
*the witty comment
*the flashbacks and how everything added up into one
I absolutely loved everything about OUR WICKED HISTORIES. I've always been a fan of paranormal things: ghosts, spirits, etc---and this book was exactly that. Let's just say what happens at Wren Hall is creepy. OUR WICKED HISTORIES is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat paranormal thriller. It's full of hauntings and murder, which adds to the ambiance of the entire book: gothic, haunting, and kind of creepy. There's so much to this book. The writing was perfectly descriptive, and the banter(between Meg and Seb especially) added an extra layer to an already great storyline. OUR WICKED HISTORIES, and it all came down to their histories. It was just somthing else. OUR WICKED HISTORIES is a must read in 2024 if you like mysteries, thrillers, suspense, drama, hauntings and revenge, and, of course, and ending that you may not see coming bc I didn't.
What I Liked About It:
*all of the drama between everyone
*the stories the locals told
*the 'lady' in the water getting the inevitable revenge
*the witty comment
*the flashbacks and how everything added up into one
jkjoy_books's review against another edition
5.0
“Our Wicked Histories” is an adrenalizing and evocative story. This book was a thriller that I enjoyed reading page after page because the author created a wonderfully woven mystery story involving secrets, betrayal, and friendship. Wren Hall has an ominous lake whose stories are terrifying. The complex journey in which Meg attempts to be accepted by her friends again and understand Wren Hall leads to an intriguing character development. It does an excellent job of mixing horrors with psychology, thus creating a fascinating revelation of personal and historical puzzles. The story has many unforeseen turns that make you question the integrity of the characters and the actual story of Wren Hall. If you enjoy suspense and moody scary, this story is a must-read!
Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
mckennaeatsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
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