You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I understand why this book is called a horror, it covers a lot of dark topics, but I wish it had leaned more into the creepy parts. I don't think I can fault it, because it's YA and I usually read adult, but the middle section of the book feels a lot more like a cute YA fantasy than a folk horror. The writing was enjoyable and I liked the characters. The romance was sweet and served the themes really well. The plot gets a little lost sometimes, there's very little suspense, and everything was predictable. Focusing a little more on the bargain plot line or the murder mystery plot line could've helped with the saggy middle.
Where this book truly shines is the themes. I think the themes this book discusses are so important and the commentary is really well done. This is a great representation of the impact that purity culture, religious trauma, and sexism can have on young women.
Spoilers below!
The plot twist at the end brought me to tears. I appreciate the raw representation of teenage pregnancy and forced birth. This book isn't shy about the point it makes. The body horror, the way teen girls disproportionately take blame over teen boys, the severity of the impact on the mother's mental health, the way society seeks to punish and shame when we should be offering support. This book made me angry and disgusted and I think everyone should read it.
Where this book truly shines is the themes. I think the themes this book discusses are so important and the commentary is really well done. This is a great representation of the impact that purity culture, religious trauma, and sexism can have on young women.
Spoilers below!
The plot twist at the end brought me to tears. I appreciate the raw representation of teenage pregnancy and forced birth. This book isn't shy about the point it makes. The body horror, the way teen girls disproportionately take blame over teen boys, the severity of the impact on the mother's mental health, the way society seeks to punish and shame when we should be offering support. This book made me angry and disgusted and I think everyone should read it.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
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:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
I feel mean because this was actually very nicely done, beautiful writing, all of it... but it didn't get to me, not really.
3.5/5
3.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Tori Bovalino has crafted a sharp, wrenching, and atmospheric story here. She skillfully balances the (fairly light) horror aspects with impactful and relevant themes. My Throat an Open Grave was a lot shorter than I'd expected it to be, but honestly that's just another indication of how impressive this book is.
There were probably one or two too many side characters that could have been left out to give the others more space, but that's really it. A lot of the themes really hit home, and the ending was very satisfying. 4/5.
Tori Bovalino has crafted a sharp, wrenching, and atmospheric story here. She skillfully balances the (fairly light) horror aspects with impactful and relevant themes. My Throat an Open Grave was a lot shorter than I'd expected it to be, but honestly that's just another indication of how impressive this book is.
There were probably one or two too many side characters that could have been left out to give the others more space, but that's really it. A lot of the themes really hit home, and the ending was very satisfying. 4/5.
Definitely marketed wrong - this is not labyrinth meets folklore horror, very unsettling and mildly gross at some points but not horror by any means and it only shares vague similarities with Labyrinth so keep that in mind! Slightly disappointed by the misleading marketing but this was really good. The main character was so interesting to read from, how she views herself and the world after what she's been through and where she was brought up, however the rest of the characters were so flat unfortunately. The book Explored some interesting themes of grief, trauma, religious issues, and self forgiveness which were done so tastefully and well, I was crying by the final chapter. The whole book did feel very slow and not a lot happened, but it reaped a huge reward as the ending was so unexpected. There are a few logistical and plot inconsistencies but I'm ignoring them purely because of how impactful the ending was and how everything came together so well.
emotional
mysterious
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
This book was beautifully written and I’m obsessed with the Lord of the woods! Even with all the foreshadowing I didn’t expect the twist but it did such a great job of showing how bigoted small towns can be. Highly recommend!