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trashkingmax's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Beck (the main character) has a sister named Riley that she drags along to investigate a weird, small town in AZ in order to try to piece together the story their mother was trying to write before her death, mostly by trying to figure out why she was so obsessed with said town. Riley doesn't actually want to be there. Riley is the only character that I personally found likeable, and she spends most of the book in the camper that the sisters are renting, offscreen.
I think the pacing of the book is pretty decent, but Beck gets handed the idiot ball more often than not. I don't know if this is supposed to keep the audience from piecing the mystery together ourselves or to build tension or just to make us feel smarter than the teenage main character. What it did for me was act as an exercise in frustration.
The relationship between the sisters also doesn't feel organic at all. It definitely doesn't feel like it was written by someone who has siblings.
I think the pacing of the book is pretty decent, but Beck gets handed the idiot ball more often than not. I don't know if this is supposed to keep the audience from piecing the mystery together ourselves or to build tension or just to make us feel smarter than the teenage main character. What it did for me was act as an exercise in frustration.
The relationship between the sisters also doesn't feel organic at all. It definitely doesn't feel like it was written by someone who has siblings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Gaslighting, Cancer, and Confinement
aurora4847's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Dementia, Medical content, Child death, and Child abuse
Minor: Gore, Blood, and Gun violence
This book involves grieving the loss of a parent, and confronting someone who is essentially a cult leader. He is manipulative and selfish, and willing to hurt those close to him to achieve his goals. I would consider many of his actions to be psychological abuse.schausjk's review
emotional
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
5.0
I was already expecting this book to be good, but I wasn't ready for just how phenomenal it was. I absolutely love the prose, which had me hooked almost immediately. Backravel was written with such an unsettling atmosphere to it that the wrongness grips you and leaves you wanting to know more. The mystery of it was so intriguing and compelling to try to uncover alongside Beck. Normally any stories involving time travel strangeness are NOT my thing at all and annoy me to no end, but this went about it in a way that made it more about memory and permanence in a way that I really quite enjoyed. The characters felt authentic, with emotional cores that feel so real. I especially enjoyed the way this book explores grief and complex family dynamics. Similarly, the romance felt natural, and not rushed or forced.
TLDR: An absolutely mesmerizing book that I want to reread again right now even though I literally just finished it.
TLDR: An absolutely mesmerizing book that I want to reread again right now even though I literally just finished it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Child death, Abandonment, and Medical content
Minor: Drug use
irenemarie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death, and Animal death
Minor: Child death
therewillbenewsuns's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
junefish's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Child death, Cancer, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
The themes of death and grief are heavy throughout the book but not graphic.silea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Overall a well written book, dealing with grief and loss and identity and family. However, it’s plagued with weird little inconsistencies that _might_ have been deliberate author choices but also might have been shoddy editing. (For example, one day a character stays in bed until noon, but later recounts the things she did that morning .)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child death
starrysteph's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Where Echoes Die is an intoxicating journey through grief & loss, family bonds, and the ferocity of missing someone so much you’d lose yourself to find peace.
(It’s like an awesome episode of Supernatural.)
Sisters Beck and Riley have been struggling since their mother’s sudden death, not sure how to move forward. When Beck finds a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting pointing towards a small Arizona town, the girls take off on a road trip hoping to find answers.
Backravel is … strange. The community members all seem a bit confused, the town is a baffling mix of fancy properties and military ruins, and the local leaders know more than they’re letting on. Beck can’t stop herself from investigating (just like her mom), but the more she uncovers, the deeper she entwines herself with this mystical, dangerous place.
It’s a story of grief, and the pain is ever-present. Beck and Riley mourn in different ways - not all of them healthy - and struggle to recalibrate to a world that has shifted and moved on without them.
Beck’s past is a punch in the gut. She’s done everything to keep her little family afloat, sacrificing her own potential hopes and needs. She’s only a teenager, but has balanced her family’s budget and watched out for both her mom and her little sister for years. Her journey of letting go of control and allowing herself to be cared for and protected is touching.
A major thread of the story is Beck’s growing relationship with town local Avery. It’s sweet and earnest and both of them break through cycles and fight to find each other.
The haunting vibrancy of the town came through right away. Gould is gifted at crafting characters and moments that feel ‘off’ and sinking pits in your stomach and off-kilter environments. It’s not a shocking story (in fact, I’d even call it predictable), but I felt as though that benefited the story. As a reader, I wanted to leap into the pages & rescue Beck & fill her in on everything she was too immersed in to truly see.
While there was a bit of clunkiness around the ending - and some of the supporting characters just felt like filler - I was so touched by this story. This one will definitely stick with me.
CW: death of a parent, grief, anxiety/panic attacks, vomit, gaslighting, emotional abuse, mental illness, memory loss/dementia, cancer, animal death, terminal illness, chronic illness, gun violence
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Dementia, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Animal death, Death, Grief, and Vomit
trippyotter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ooo, I love stories with a Twin Peaks vibe!
A haunting tale with a dream-like quality that leaves you questioning what is real and what is not. When reality is stranger than fiction and the truth will leave you changed forever.
Still grieving for their mother's death, two sisters embark on one last trip before living with their father in Texas.
For years, their mother had been obsessed with a small town in Arizona and the mystery she was unable to solve. By the end of her life, their family had become fractured, their mother absentminded, and Beck - the oldest of the two sisters - struggling to maintain their family.
In her grief, Beck becomes obsessed with understanding her mother's obsession and why it took her away from them.
Conveniencing her sister to the road trip was the easy part, but once they arrive in Backravel, it becomes harder and harder to keep the truth from her.
And the truth might just kill them, too.
The only thing I can say is that I might have liked a bit more oddity with the other kids in town, but I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading Courtney's future works.
A haunting tale with a dream-like quality that leaves you questioning what is real and what is not. When reality is stranger than fiction and the truth will leave you changed forever.
Still grieving for their mother's death, two sisters embark on one last trip before living with their father in Texas.
For years, their mother had been obsessed with a small town in Arizona and the mystery she was unable to solve. By the end of her life, their family had become fractured, their mother absentminded, and Beck - the oldest of the two sisters - struggling to maintain their family.
In her grief, Beck becomes obsessed with understanding her mother's obsession and why it took her away from them.
Conveniencing her sister to the road trip was the easy part, but once they arrive in Backravel, it becomes harder and harder to keep the truth from her.
And the truth might just kill them, too.
The only thing I can say is that I might have liked a bit more oddity with the other kids in town, but I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading Courtney's future works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Gaslighting, and Death of parent
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