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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!
Firstly, I appreciate how the chapters all have titles, we don't have enough of that anymore. Secondly, Thea and Wren are absolutely creepy and gave me chills the minute they were introduced. This gave me strong Haunting of Bly Manor vibes which is perfectly okay with me because I actually loved Bly. This story was just so eerie and creepy and perfectly paced that it gave me the ick. It was wonderful and is definitely worth the read.
Firstly, I appreciate how the chapters all have titles, we don't have enough of that anymore. Secondly, Thea and Wren are absolutely creepy and gave me chills the minute they were introduced. This gave me strong Haunting of Bly Manor vibes which is perfectly okay with me because I actually loved Bly. This story was just so eerie and creepy and perfectly paced that it gave me the ick. It was wonderful and is definitely worth the read.
A big thanks to YABC for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Yes! Finally a Lesbian Gothic! Don't worry, I'll be re-reading this one come October.
All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley is a YA contemporary Gothic romance about a girl by the name of Marin Blythe, who is all alone in the world. Until the horror writer, Alice Lovelace (who also happens to be one of Marin's mother's best friends) invites her to come stay at her home as a nanny. Having no other place to do, Marin accepts and finds that her world is quickly turned upside down. Alice's girls are peculiar in their own ways. Including Thea, who likes to bury her dolls and hold funerals and Wren who will do everything in her power to drive Marin away. But when Alice's eldest daughter suddenly arrives home, Marin can't help but start to have feelings for her. Even though so many strange things are happening, including the likes of a monster in the woods that's leaving mutilated animals in it's wake.
First of all, I was already in love with this book due to it being a part of the gothic genre. I love just about anything spooky and scary, with an extra bonus point of it taking place in an every spookier house. (I'm looking at you The Haunting of Hill House and Down Comes the Night.) This book hit all the high notes, and a few low ones too but no book is absolutely perfect.
What I liked most about this book, was that is had a great cast of characters. Marin was the perfect main character to feature. And though Thea and Wren were annoying at times, they created a great balance between them and Marin. And you can't exactly forget about Evie.
The one thing I wish, was that there was less gore. Which I know is redundant to ask for, considering this a Gothic book. But sometimes it's just not needed. Or it could be toned down, just enough to get the point across. I also felt that the romance was a little bit lacking, even though it was serving as the relief from the spookiness. It was kinda rushed, to the point it was starting to feel like insta-love.
But overall, I really enjoyed this book! I will happily be re-reading it in October. Along with a bunch of other spooky reads.
Yes! Finally a Lesbian Gothic! Don't worry, I'll be re-reading this one come October.
All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley is a YA contemporary Gothic romance about a girl by the name of Marin Blythe, who is all alone in the world. Until the horror writer, Alice Lovelace (who also happens to be one of Marin's mother's best friends) invites her to come stay at her home as a nanny. Having no other place to do, Marin accepts and finds that her world is quickly turned upside down. Alice's girls are peculiar in their own ways. Including Thea, who likes to bury her dolls and hold funerals and Wren who will do everything in her power to drive Marin away. But when Alice's eldest daughter suddenly arrives home, Marin can't help but start to have feelings for her. Even though so many strange things are happening, including the likes of a monster in the woods that's leaving mutilated animals in it's wake.
First of all, I was already in love with this book due to it being a part of the gothic genre. I love just about anything spooky and scary, with an extra bonus point of it taking place in an every spookier house. (I'm looking at you The Haunting of Hill House and Down Comes the Night.) This book hit all the high notes, and a few low ones too but no book is absolutely perfect.
What I liked most about this book, was that is had a great cast of characters. Marin was the perfect main character to feature. And though Thea and Wren were annoying at times, they created a great balance between them and Marin. And you can't exactly forget about Evie.
The one thing I wish, was that there was less gore. Which I know is redundant to ask for, considering this a Gothic book. But sometimes it's just not needed. Or it could be toned down, just enough to get the point across. I also felt that the romance was a little bit lacking, even though it was serving as the relief from the spookiness. It was kinda rushed, to the point it was starting to feel like insta-love.
But overall, I really enjoyed this book! I will happily be re-reading it in October. Along with a bunch of other spooky reads.
First YA book I've read in a minute. This is a horror, dark academia aesthetic, LGBTQIA+ story that follows Marin Blythe. She is a high school junior age girl that has recently lost her mother, her only family. She receives an invitation from one Alice Lovelace to stay with her. She is an author of horror novels that Marin is a fan of but was also a former close friend of her mother's. Marin will be the nanny for Alice's two daughters (between 6 and 9ish maybe) who also lost their father somewhat recently. As Marin arrives, she is told how Lovelace Manor is cursed or haunted. She meets the family, caretakers, and eventually Alice's other daughter who comes home from school, Evie. What follows is a crush into possible romance with Evie in the midst of strange happenings (birds crashing into windows, the children being plain ole creepy (burying dolls, mean and twisted pranks), Alice locking herself in her office months on end to write, and Evie and the rest of the family hiding many secrets.
I really dug this book. The horror/dark academia aesthetic is something that I am a sucker for. Kyrie McCauley does a good job with creating an atmosphere that has the feeling of something off or creepy happening at all times even when it is just a simple event like breakfast; you're always on your toes waiting for the next scare to happen. It was also impossible not to love Marin and Evie and hope for their relationship to strengthen. The end has some set pieces that seem a bit much and more horror movie climax style but I was more than happy to have some Evil Dead style horror to alleviate from the constant undertone of spooky dread.
I really dug this book. The horror/dark academia aesthetic is something that I am a sucker for. Kyrie McCauley does a good job with creating an atmosphere that has the feeling of something off or creepy happening at all times even when it is just a simple event like breakfast; you're always on your toes waiting for the next scare to happen. It was also impossible not to love Marin and Evie and hope for their relationship to strengthen. The end has some set pieces that seem a bit much and more horror movie climax style but I was more than happy to have some Evil Dead style horror to alleviate from the constant undertone of spooky dread.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review. This book was creepy in all the ways I hoped for. The storyline progressed smoothly and there were so many twists that kept me intrigued. I will definitely be recommending this book when it is released.
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
A book likened to The Haunting of Bly Manor? Say less.
All the Dead Lie Down follows Marin, who recently experienced the tragic loss of her mother, as she accepts a nannying position with renowned horror author Alice Lovelace. After meeting the two younger children, Wren and Thea, Marin begins noticing some unnerving occurrences around the house. When Alice's eldest daughter, Evie, returns home from boarding school, the strangeness is only amplified. Alice herself is an aloof, eerie persona within the house, and Marin, a lifelong worrier, quickly begins questioning whether or not the house is cursed in some way.
Amidst everything else that's going on, Marin and Evie find themselves falling for one another. While I'm not normally overwhelmingly interested in romance in YA books, I enjoyed how casually this queer romance was intertwined into the rest of the story. Neither Marin nor Evie are ever shown experiencing hardship because of their sexual orientation or their relationship, which is often uncommon with respect to queer identities. It was refreshing to read a sapphic relationship that felt so normalized.
I didn't find this book particularly spooky, but that doesn't surprise me given its YA classification. Overall, I enjoyed the dark, gothic atmosphere as well as each of the characters' roles in the story. The build and pacing of All the Dead Lie Down felt realistic, and I appreciated that it left me wondering how much of what I thought I knew about what Marin was experiencing and Wren and Thea's motivations was accurate.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
All the Dead Lie Down follows Marin, who recently experienced the tragic loss of her mother, as she accepts a nannying position with renowned horror author Alice Lovelace. After meeting the two younger children, Wren and Thea, Marin begins noticing some unnerving occurrences around the house. When Alice's eldest daughter, Evie, returns home from boarding school, the strangeness is only amplified. Alice herself is an aloof, eerie persona within the house, and Marin, a lifelong worrier, quickly begins questioning whether or not the house is cursed in some way.
Amidst everything else that's going on, Marin and Evie find themselves falling for one another. While I'm not normally overwhelmingly interested in romance in YA books, I enjoyed how casually this queer romance was intertwined into the rest of the story. Neither Marin nor Evie are ever shown experiencing hardship because of their sexual orientation or their relationship, which is often uncommon with respect to queer identities. It was refreshing to read a sapphic relationship that felt so normalized.
I didn't find this book particularly spooky, but that doesn't surprise me given its YA classification. Overall, I enjoyed the dark, gothic atmosphere as well as each of the characters' roles in the story. The build and pacing of All the Dead Lie Down felt realistic, and I appreciated that it left me wondering how much of what I thought I knew about what Marin was experiencing and Wren and Thea's motivations was accurate.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All the Dead Lie Down is everything you could ever want in a modern gothic. Centered around a mysterious family whose matriarch is a famous horror author and whose past is intimately tangled with a past our heroine knows nothing about, it takes its time revealing its elements without being too heavy a read for anyone who wants a quick and satisfying story about loss, death, secrets, and a saphic love story that hits all the right notes.I thoroughly enjoyed all of it and was very happy the whole way through!
