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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I am typically not one for horror based books but I LOVED this one. I started just before I went to bed and I had to make myself go to bed to finish it when I woke up. There are so many different little events that pop up throughout the book that truly surprised me.
Marin accepts an offer to look over 2 children after her own mother passed in exchange for room and board. The children's mother, Alice, had known Marin's mother when they were younger and Marin needed a place to live. Alice was also a well known author and she needed the children taken care of so she could focus on her novels. Marin accepts as she is a teenager herself with little to no money. The girls try to scare Marin by pranking her by doing creepy things in efforts to get her to leave. Eventually their older sister, the same age as Marin, Evie returns. Instead of making her leave their mom insists that she stays and share the responsibility with Evie and to help Evie with her studies. As Marin adjusts to life at Lovelace her anxiety bolsters with each passing day as curious events occur. From dead birds in her room to mutilated animals in the woods, things are off about Lovelace House and it's residents.
Grief is a huge theme in this book as both Marin and the girls had recently lost someone.
I received an arc copy through Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Marin accepts an offer to look over 2 children after her own mother passed in exchange for room and board. The children's mother, Alice, had known Marin's mother when they were younger and Marin needed a place to live. Alice was also a well known author and she needed the children taken care of so she could focus on her novels. Marin accepts as she is a teenager herself with little to no money. The girls try to scare Marin by pranking her by doing creepy things in efforts to get her to leave. Eventually their older sister, the same age as Marin, Evie returns. Instead of making her leave their mom insists that she stays and share the responsibility with Evie and to help Evie with her studies. As Marin adjusts to life at Lovelace her anxiety bolsters with each passing day as curious events occur. From dead birds in her room to mutilated animals in the woods, things are off about Lovelace House and it's residents.
Grief is a huge theme in this book as both Marin and the girls had recently lost someone.
I received an arc copy through Netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Really enjoyed this book. Easy to read and fast paced. Perfect spooky season read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.
This book was a little step outside of my comfort zone and I kind of loved it!
When Marin loses her mom, she realizes she has no idea what she's going to do with her life. She when her mother's long lost best friend invites her to nanny at Lovelace house, Maren figures she has nothing to lose.
Alice, Marin's mom's old best friend, is creepy at best, as is the house. While Marin first finds it hard to nanny the children in her care, she begins to get settled as best she can into her role. But when the eldest daughter, Evie, arrives, things spiral out of control.
I loved being able to explore Marin's relationships with Evie and the two younger girls, and the island and home were definitely their own characters. I wasn't sure what to expect in this novel, and about halfway through I was definitely in for the shock of my life.
This book is absolutely a mix of The Haunting of Bly Manor and Night of the Living Dead and I really enjoyed every moment of it. If you need a dark read, this is for you.
This book was a little step outside of my comfort zone and I kind of loved it!
When Marin loses her mom, she realizes she has no idea what she's going to do with her life. She when her mother's long lost best friend invites her to nanny at Lovelace house, Maren figures she has nothing to lose.
Alice, Marin's mom's old best friend, is creepy at best, as is the house. While Marin first finds it hard to nanny the children in her care, she begins to get settled as best she can into her role. But when the eldest daughter, Evie, arrives, things spiral out of control.
I loved being able to explore Marin's relationships with Evie and the two younger girls, and the island and home were definitely their own characters. I wasn't sure what to expect in this novel, and about halfway through I was definitely in for the shock of my life.
This book is absolutely a mix of The Haunting of Bly Manor and Night of the Living Dead and I really enjoyed every moment of it. If you need a dark read, this is for you.
Please note that I received this via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
I really liked the setup and reveals. A great LGBT YA Gothic horror novel! The main character and the house with the spooky estate was a great setting as well.
"All the Dead Lie Down" follows Marin Blythe who ends up taking a position as a nanny, to a family her mother knew when she was a child, the Lovelace's. Alice Lovelace, is a famous horror author with three children, Thea, Wren, and Evie. Evie is away at school so Alice needs Marin to help her with the children. The family is still recovering from the accidental death of Alice's husband, and father to the three girls. Marin though feels as if something is wrong at the Lovelace Estate. The woods seem dark and menacing. And the birds seem to die and then disappear once again. When Evie returns from boarding school, Marin finds herself drawn to her and to finding out what secrets the Lovelace's are hiding.
I thought Marin was a great YA character. Not a pushover, and definitely not a Mary Sue. She takes Thea and Wren on (dealing with awful pranks) but realizes that something seems off with Alice. She finds herself falling for Evie, but realizes that something is going on that she doesn't understand.
The other characters all have quirks and I love that we slowly get pieces to a puzzle that Marin is trying to figure out. I also laughed a few times (mostly with the little girls).
I loved the writing and thought the setting of the estate was very Gothic and spooky.
The ending was very creepy and I liked the final resolution. At times though you think that Evie and Marin could be a bit older, but you realize they are older in a way because of everything they have gone through.
I really liked the setup and reveals. A great LGBT YA Gothic horror novel! The main character and the house with the spooky estate was a great setting as well.
"All the Dead Lie Down" follows Marin Blythe who ends up taking a position as a nanny, to a family her mother knew when she was a child, the Lovelace's. Alice Lovelace, is a famous horror author with three children, Thea, Wren, and Evie. Evie is away at school so Alice needs Marin to help her with the children. The family is still recovering from the accidental death of Alice's husband, and father to the three girls. Marin though feels as if something is wrong at the Lovelace Estate. The woods seem dark and menacing. And the birds seem to die and then disappear once again. When Evie returns from boarding school, Marin finds herself drawn to her and to finding out what secrets the Lovelace's are hiding.
I thought Marin was a great YA character. Not a pushover, and definitely not a Mary Sue. She takes Thea and Wren on (dealing with awful pranks) but realizes that something seems off with Alice. She finds herself falling for Evie, but realizes that something is going on that she doesn't understand.
The other characters all have quirks and I love that we slowly get pieces to a puzzle that Marin is trying to figure out. I also laughed a few times (mostly with the little girls).
I loved the writing and thought the setting of the estate was very Gothic and spooky.
The ending was very creepy and I liked the final resolution. At times though you think that Evie and Marin could be a bit older, but you realize they are older in a way because of everything they have gone through.
very haunting of bly manor vibes. only thing that stopped it being a 5 star is i wanted more tbh, a little bit more of an ending maybe? the ending felt a bit rushed but other than that, loved it
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I loved the Gothic vibes and the sapphic romance but it lacked the social commentary that I loved in McCauley's other books. She's definitely an author I'll keep an eye on though. Her writing is so easy to read and her characters have a great sense of personality. I'd recommend this to any dark academia fans or people who like slow, creeping paranormal stories.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I almost DNF this book multiple times. The first half is quite boring. It did have a satisfying ending though. I found the writing to be a little lacking. The writer didn't do a very good job describing the setting of each scene. It just wasn't very visual or evocative at all. It was also common that the writer didn't make it clear when characters were leaving rooms or moving to a private conversation. There would be multiple people in conversation and then all of a sudden it was just two. I kept waiting for the others to react, but they were just not mentioned again. It was confusing and distracting. I liked the story, but I don't think I'll read this writer again.