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mel_j's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The world-building could've been more thorough, but I loved the vibe and atmosphere! The two protagonists were everything – I felt so sorry for Elwood but loved his soft nature and really liked Wil's feistyness and strength. The ending was heartbreaking, but very fitting.
(It's very YA, but that's okay.)
(It's very YA, but that's okay.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Religious bigotry, Blood, Child abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Body horror
Moderate: Stalking and Confinement
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pregnancy, Cursing, Sexism, Alcohol, Torture, Vomit, and Kidnapping
chris_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Stalking, Body horror, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Confinement, Vomit, Animal death, and Alcohol
sarah_shelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
“He might not love me, but maybe he’ll praise my bones after he’s burned them too” Elwood
–Skyla Arndt, Together We Rot
I absolutely loved this book and I have so many thoughts to share! To start off, the audio is phenomenal. I always get excited when dual pov novels have a narrator for each pov, but these actors were next level. Wil’s narrator has a great northeastern accent and really changes up her voice for the other speaking characters. But her voice is also so emotional and varied, with a lot of attitude. She doesn’t just read the book, she truly acts like an audio drama. The first person narrative definitely helps with the acting because we get a very clear inner dialogue and connection to the characters’ thoughts and emotions. It took me longer to warm up to Elwood’s narrator, not because he was bad in any way, but Elwood is much more earnest and calm compared to Wil’s scathing insults and boiling rage. But as the story progresses, we get a lot more dynamic acting, especially as he tackles more characters and Elwood’s situation grows more horrifying.
Aside from the phenomenal acting, I was drawn to all of the characters. Finally some authentic & complex high schoolers! Ronnie seems to have been the stereotypical, pretty popular girl, but she bonded with social outcast Wil over the serious & traumatic things in their lives (Ronnie’s breakup with Lucas & her dad’s suicide; Wil’s mother’s disappearance) We also get to see different sides of their personalities. To Wil, Elwood is a traitor who chose his murderous family over her, but he is so confused and even more in the dark than she is. We also see how Lucas is an anxious mess who really cares about Ronnie but keeps messing up (I don’t fully know the girls’ perspectives on this, but it humanizes the guys). I also really enjoyed the relationship growth between Wil and Lucas. The two keep butting heads over their best friends, but are eventually able to acknowledge their shared friendships and jealousies. Once they get past the animosity, the two actually make a great team, being more similar than they realized. Kevin is the final character to round out the Scooby Gang (and I love that Wil uses that name). He doesn't have quite as much development or time among the other relationship dynamics, but he’s a steady presence with knowledge of old books and a love for conspiracies. He really rounds out the whole group.
Speaking of relationships, Arndt was able to sell me on the romance so much better in a matter of paragraphs than most writers do in a whole novel (unlike Caraval). Elwood’s descriptions of how much he loves Wil and his dreams for their day-to-day lives are so sweet! It’s obvious how much the two care for each other, even when Wil tries to deny it. It’s incredibly refreshing after too many YA romance subplots where the characters just seem to lust after each other.
Plot-wise the first half or so is fantastic. We get really great introductions to all of the characters and their dynamics as well as our main characters’ motivations: Wil’s missing mother and Elwood’s complicated relationship with his family. Everything builds fantastically as we run through Lucas’ party, Elwood’s discovery of the church’s cult aspects, running into Wil, and investigating the library with the rest of the cast. However, I felt like the pacing for the investigation was off. The town has gone ages without the younger generation discovering the sacrifices they make to the Morgue Wood. And yet, in a matter of days, the kids discover the entire backstory, dating back to the town’s founding. The supernatural aspects were also rather vague until the climax of the story when the book goes full cryptid. I think all of this could’ve been drawn out more to really sit in the tension and creepy vibes of the town.
Aside from some of the pacing issues, I loved the rest of the novel. I got very emotional at the end, especially after the forest fight and Wil’s reconciliation with her emotionally absent father. I would’ve accepted if the novel had ended differently, but I’m really glad everyone got a happy ending. Except for Elwood’s father, the chief of police, and the entire cult. There’s always a special vindication when evil organizations are publicly exposed and taken care of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Religious bigotry, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Religious Cult Cryptid Human Sacrifice Mothskayceeisbookish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Loved it! It is beautifully horrific, like twirling throny vines growing up a trellis. This book's vines had a CHOKEHOLD on me. I read it in one sitting. The mystery, grotesque body horror, the beauty in the main characters' development and growth, this book truly has it all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Alcoholism, Animal death, Gore, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Blood, and Religious bigotry
hobbithopeful's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you Penguin for this ARC
As breathtakingly beautiful as it is horrifyingly creepy, Together We Rotis now my favorite horror romance of all time.
Wil is fruitlessly searching for her missing Mother, much to the chagrin of the small town she lives in. She is convinced the local pastor is involved, but the local police would rather stuff their face with donuts then listen to her. Elwood is her ex-best friend and the pastor's son, forced to play a role he doesn't want. When Elwood realizes he isn't being groomed to take over for his Father, but instead is going to be sacrificed on his 18th birthday, he flees. Straight into Wil.
My favorite part of the story is the imagery, and just the way that Arndt writes. In just one sentence the mood shifts from light-hearted, to creepy. A few well placed words have you scratching at your skin, and making sure the light is on. Her ability to choose the most chilling words is just incredibly impressive. The tonal shifts she conveys within a page are some of the best I've ever seen in a book.
Horror romance as a genre is so difficult to nail down, books tend to favor one or other and it's rare that I see it done this well. The relationship between Wil and Elwood doesn't feel rushed, or fast-paced. It feels incredibly natural and in a way, aching. There are several characters in this but I never felt lost or confused. I know there are people who probably don't like the characters, but I think it's important to remember people don't act level headed when they are grieving. I personally love Wil's fiery personality, and her stubbornness.
If I truly had to nitpick and find something I didn't enjoy, I do wish it is a bit longer. I would have liked to have learned more about the town and the history. I will say I might have had a different opinion about the book had I not been warned by a mutual of mine about some of the content.
Be kind to yourself when you read this there are a lot of triggers. I read this as an arc so I hope the finished publication has content warnings because there are a lot of heavy topics. Some of them include: child abuse, body horror, INSECTS. (No really, all the insects!) I strongly encourage anyone who is wanting to read this to check out story graph for the full list. I didn't go into a book slump or found it on the level that books like Ever Since are trigger wise.
You know when you read a debut novel for the first time, and you're just like...woah. That is the feeling Together We Rot gives me. Skyla Arndt is a name to watch out for. I just know she is going to be big.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book, and I need Skyla Arndt to write another book IMMEDIATELY please! (Y'all she is one of my new favorite authors now!)
This is 100% my new favorite book cover for the year. I just where do I even start! The vines that are embedded under the skin like veins, the moths circling around, the SYMBOLISM! This is truly a work of art. Marcela Bolivar always kills it and I continue to be in awe of her talent. The cover not only captures the horror and creepiness of the book, but also the romance.
As breathtakingly beautiful as it is horrifyingly creepy, Together We Rotis now my favorite horror romance of all time.
Wil is fruitlessly searching for her missing Mother, much to the chagrin of the small town she lives in. She is convinced the local pastor is involved, but the local police would rather stuff their face with donuts then listen to her. Elwood is her ex-best friend and the pastor's son, forced to play a role he doesn't want. When Elwood realizes he isn't being groomed to take over for his Father, but instead is going to be sacrificed on his 18th birthday, he flees. Straight into Wil.
My favorite part of the story is the imagery, and just the way that Arndt writes. In just one sentence the mood shifts from light-hearted, to creepy. A few well placed words have you scratching at your skin, and making sure the light is on. Her ability to choose the most chilling words is just incredibly impressive. The tonal shifts she conveys within a page are some of the best I've ever seen in a book.
Horror romance as a genre is so difficult to nail down, books tend to favor one or other and it's rare that I see it done this well. The relationship between Wil and Elwood doesn't feel rushed, or fast-paced. It feels incredibly natural and in a way, aching. There are several characters in this but I never felt lost or confused. I know there are people who probably don't like the characters, but I think it's important to remember people don't act level headed when they are grieving. I personally love Wil's fiery personality, and her stubbornness.
If I truly had to nitpick and find something I didn't enjoy, I do wish it is a bit longer. I would have liked to have learned more about the town and the history. I will say I might have had a different opinion about the book had I not been warned by a mutual of mine about some of the content.
Be kind to yourself when you read this there are a lot of triggers. I read this as an arc so I hope the finished publication has content warnings because there are a lot of heavy topics. Some of them include: child abuse, body horror, INSECTS. (No really, all the insects!) I strongly encourage anyone who is wanting to read this to check out story graph for the full list. I didn't go into a book slump or found it on the level that books like Ever Since are trigger wise.
You know when you read a debut novel for the first time, and you're just like...woah. That is the feeling Together We Rot gives me. Skyla Arndt is a name to watch out for. I just know she is going to be big.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book, and I need Skyla Arndt to write another book IMMEDIATELY please! (Y'all she is one of my new favorite authors now!)
This is 100% my new favorite book cover for the year. I just where do I even start! The vines that are embedded under the skin like veins, the moths circling around, the SYMBOLISM! This is truly a work of art. Marcela Bolivar always kills it and I continue to be in awe of her talent. The cover not only captures the horror and creepiness of the book, but also the romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Vomit, Gore, Emotional abuse, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Together We Rot has a very interesting and unique storyline. I wish there was more to the story than there is... it's hard to put into words what I'm missing. This is a quick read and I enjoyed it. Also, gorgeous cover art. Thank you NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, Death of parent, Violence, Bullying, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Gore
Minor: Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Stalking
imbored_soillread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
Wil is a girl trying to solve her mother’s disappearance when it feels like the police aren’t doing anything. Elwood is a boy trying to escape from his secretive cult family. Together they have to repair their broken friendship and work together to solve the case and stop the crimes his family have been commuting for centuries.
SETTING/ENVIRONMENT- this book had some great world building, especially for being set in our world. I felt like I was there in the story the whole time. The cult in this story is a Christian based one, and as a Christian, and someone who has been in a Christian based cult, I thought it was done really well. It goes to show how people will bed the words of scripture to fit their own sick ends. For example, Elwood has been being abused for his whole life. His parents use the scriptures about the importance of discipline while completely ignoring the context and the scriptures about loving your children. They say that God has always required sacrifice for justification for killing animals and ignore the fact that Jesus became that sacrifice and fulfilled the law so that no more death would be necessary. One qualm I had with the setting was that it was set in winter, and my brain was picturing fall, so it threw me off, but that’s more my fault then the author’s.
PLOT- the plot was unique, interesting, and not grossly predictable as YA/NA books are these days. I found it easy to follow while still being deep and nuanced.
CHARACTERS- I have a love hate relationship with the characters in this book. They were well written and intentionally made this way, but personally, I wouldn’t have gotten along with them irl. Aside from Elwood perhaps. Wil was feisty, but I am very non confrontational and so our personalities don’t really fit. I thought it was interesting how the pastor aka Elwoods father called himself the “right hand of God.” Let me tell you, as soon as someone says they speak for God, run. It’s a cult. Only God speaks for God.
PROSE- immaculate and beautiful. Horrifyingly well done. 10/10. Enough said.
OVERALL ENJOYMENT- I liked it. I couldn’t put it down. It’s not my favorite ever, but it was good.
SETTING/ENVIRONMENT- this book had some great world building, especially for being set in our world. I felt like I was there in the story the whole time. The cult in this story is a Christian based one, and as a Christian, and someone who has been in a Christian based cult, I thought it was done really well. It goes to show how people will bed the words of scripture to fit their own sick ends. For example, Elwood has been being abused for his whole life. His parents use the scriptures about the importance of discipline while completely ignoring the context and the scriptures about loving your children. They say that God has always required sacrifice for justification for killing animals and ignore the fact that Jesus became that sacrifice and fulfilled the law so that no more death would be necessary. One qualm I had with the setting was that it was set in winter, and my brain was picturing fall, so it threw me off, but that’s more my fault then the author’s.
PLOT- the plot was unique, interesting, and not grossly predictable as YA/NA books are these days. I found it easy to follow while still being deep and nuanced.
CHARACTERS- I have a love hate relationship with the characters in this book. They were well written and intentionally made this way, but personally, I wouldn’t have gotten along with them irl. Aside from Elwood perhaps. Wil was feisty, but I am very non confrontational and so our personalities don’t really fit. I thought it was interesting how the pastor aka Elwoods father called himself the “right hand of God.” Let me tell you, as soon as someone says they speak for God, run. It’s a cult. Only God speaks for God.
PROSE- immaculate and beautiful. Horrifyingly well done. 10/10. Enough said.
OVERALL ENJOYMENT- I liked it. I couldn’t put it down. It’s not my favorite ever, but it was good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Grief, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Police brutality
I feel like it’s important to add occult themes, cult sacrifice, child and animal sacrifice, religious trauma, swearing, and a slight demonic tone. The regular content warnings can’t really warn you about these.trippyotter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow, this story!
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I started, but I was shocked and blown away by the plot twist! I shouldn't have been. It's clearly in the summary, but it's different when you're wrapped up in the story and experiencing it.
When Wil's mother goes missing, she confronts her childhood friend, Elwood, who sides with his family. Grieving the loss of her mother and best friend, Wil sets out to discover the truth, and nothing could have prepared her for the truth.
Elwood has suffered at the hand of his father for years, and his future has been chosen for him. But when he learns the truth of his father's deceit, he will do anything to separate himself from his family and town.
I give the author mad props for the non-traditional ending! I don't think any other ending would have worked with the story, but I would love to read a novella/short when everyone comes back together in the future.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I started, but I was shocked and blown away by the plot twist! I shouldn't have been. It's clearly in the summary, but it's different when you're wrapped up in the story and experiencing it.
When Wil's mother goes missing, she confronts her childhood friend, Elwood, who sides with his family. Grieving the loss of her mother and best friend, Wil sets out to discover the truth, and nothing could have prepared her for the truth.
Elwood has suffered at the hand of his father for years, and his future has been chosen for him. But when he learns the truth of his father's deceit, he will do anything to separate himself from his family and town.
I give the author mad props for the non-traditional ending! I don't think any other ending would have worked with the story, but I would love to read a novella/short when everyone comes back together in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Vomit, Alcohol, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse
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