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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
My Throat an Open Grave is about Leah, a high schooler from a small town, who is struggling to get through her day-to-day life. When asked to care for her baby brother one night, she is distraught to find that the Lord of the Woods took him the one moment she's not watching him. This causes her to embark on a journey to get her brother back, while also uncovering the mysterious murders of the women who went into the woods before her. Leah not only faces the dangers of the Lord of the Woods, but she's also faced with confronting her inner demons.
This was such an interesting and original story! I thought the writing was compelling enough to hold my attention throughout - I even read this in one day. But it did read like a YA romance, so it was a tad juvenile at times. It caused the focus to shift from important themes that could have been further explored to "the Lord of the Woods is a hottie and I want to bang him". I didn't really care for that.
The characters were all a bit one-dimensional, but I did enjoy how the author portrayed religious oppression and the emotional trauma that's endured from it. Leah was definitely the black sheep of her community, as she never followed the rules or abided by her town's religious leaders. So I enjoyed that aspect of the story a lot. There were a couple twists, one I didn't see coming and one I could smell a mile away lol.
I was a little put off by the ending though... I feel like Leah's journey and inner awakening was kind of all for nothing with how everything played out. Note: out of respect for those who haven't read this book and want to, I won't expand on this any further. Feel free to message me if you want to know why I was put off though!
Overall, I thought the story started off strong, but when the romance elements kicked in about halfway through, it lost me a little. Because it was such a quick read, I kept going with it and have no regrets because I did enjoy it for the most part. It just took a different direction that I wasn't expecting so that's on me.
⭐⭐⭐
This was such an interesting and original story! I thought the writing was compelling enough to hold my attention throughout - I even read this in one day. But it did read like a YA romance, so it was a tad juvenile at times. It caused the focus to shift from important themes that could have been further explored to "the Lord of the Woods is a hottie and I want to bang him". I didn't really care for that.
The characters were all a bit one-dimensional, but I did enjoy how the author portrayed religious oppression and the emotional trauma that's endured from it. Leah was definitely the black sheep of her community, as she never followed the rules or abided by her town's religious leaders. So I enjoyed that aspect of the story a lot. There were a couple twists, one I didn't see coming and one I could smell a mile away lol.
I was a little put off by the ending though... I feel like Leah's journey and inner awakening was kind of all for nothing with how everything played out. Note: out of respect for those who haven't read this book and want to, I won't expand on this any further. Feel free to message me if you want to know why I was put off though!
Overall, I thought the story started off strong, but when the romance elements kicked in about halfway through, it lost me a little. Because it was such a quick read, I kept going with it and have no regrets because I did enjoy it for the most part. It just took a different direction that I wasn't expecting so that's on me.
⭐⭐⭐
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
The last 100 pages were the best part of this book, and it’s a shame that it took 200 pages for me to get attached to any of the characters.
The beginning of this felt sluggish, and it didn’t grip me or really even interest me until the plot finally began to kick in. But then the middle part of this book was just vibes—nothing really happened, the horror was very minimal, I wasn't invested in the relationship between Leah and Tristan, and none of the side characters added much to the story.
The fantasy aspect of the book, including the lore, felt a bit confusing. Almost like they weren’t fully formed ideas, rather just fragments of something that could have been cohesive and interesing had the author fleshed them out more.
I enjoyed the commentary on puritanism, religion, and misogyny, and the writing was decent, so like… it was fine? I didn't hate it—it just didn't leave a lasting impression on me, either.
The beginning of this felt sluggish, and it didn’t grip me or really even interest me until the plot finally began to kick in. But then the middle part of this book was just vibes—nothing really happened, the horror was very minimal, I wasn't invested in the relationship between Leah and Tristan, and none of the side characters added much to the story.
The fantasy aspect of the book, including the lore, felt a bit confusing. Almost like they weren’t fully formed ideas, rather just fragments of something that could have been cohesive and interesing had the author fleshed them out more.
I enjoyed the commentary on puritanism, religion, and misogyny, and the writing was decent, so like… it was fine? I didn't hate it—it just didn't leave a lasting impression on me, either.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
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:
Yes
dark
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely not a horror as advertised in the front/back cover reviews but definitely sinister religious undertones.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes