Reviews

Direwood by Catherine Yu

shinysylveon's review against another edition

3.0

This was an interesting read for sure. It goes back to what I would consider 'old school' vampires. They are not just the alluring and glamorized version of the 2000s, but also the dark, lying, dead, disgusting and manipulative kind too. They are soulless monsters.

At the same time...it toys with the idea of them being more. It almost pays homage to the 2000s vampire, the ones that teen girls want to love and fall for...and to become.

While this isn't full on horror, it is definitely in that vein. It kept me interested; I finished it in just a few days. The ending could only go in a few different directions and it got to a point fairly early on where I knew where it was headed. However, the ending, while not wholly satisfying, did make sense and fit the overall story.

I would recommend it to anyone wanting something vampire-esque that feels both old and new.

pale_faced_fear's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.25

stephisbranded's review

5.0

This book is weird and haunting. It gave me Grady Hendrix vibes with the way it was written, but more sinister vibes and not as much careful dialogue between characters. The issues don't hit you in the face in a way that is obvious, but happen gradually until you realize "hey, this book is about more than vampires". Also. Vampires. 90s gothic horror with vampires. Yes. But... these vampires are gross and there's a lot of bugs everywhere. I haven't read a vampire book I've liked in awhile and this was a delightful surprise.

cabeswateraven's review

4.0

This was so creepy and gory and such an insular horror story !! I loved this take on vampires and despite others not enjoying the slowness of the plot, I think it worked perfectly! The slowness and the uncertainty really added to the story and made it even more compelling!! I do enjoy how heavy it went on the gore at times and just how weird it was and how nicely it wrapped up at the end, a great standalone for an afternoon. 

If you like weird, beautifully written low plot books with interesting unique horror elements I recommend this, I read it in one sitting and I had a lot of fun with it. I’ll be for sure picking up further horror from this author in the future! 

borrowducks's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

bookalorian's review

3.0

Aja allows a vampire to remove her from her home in hopes of finding her missing sister...

OK this one was a little boring. The writing was good I just found it a bit repetitive. The premise was really interesting and I loved the gothic vibe but I just found my attention ebbing every now and again. It just kind of fell a little flat.

The characters were a bit one dimensional but it wasn't a hard book to finish.

3 stars

margiebythebookcase's review

4.0

This will be the perfect fall/spooky time read for YA readers.
There are vampires, kidnapped girls, missing sisters, and infatuation with said vampires. Of course, they have that alluring thing that really makes a gal fall for them.

For me as a 30 year old, this story felt a little young for me to enjoy to its fullest potential. The story dragged on slowly for me in many parts. Not because of the authors writing, just because of how young and naive the characters were.

So while I highly recommend this to my younger crowd, I would not recommend it to my older crowd.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

mystic_bookwyrm's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Im a bit torn on how I feel about this book. The writing was good. There were tense moments and some gross ones. I liked how the vampires were written, but something still feels a bit lacking. It doesn’t feel like a ton happened and when it finally did it felt a bit hurried. I wish there had been a bit more to it. 
Being the authors debut though, I would read her next book. 

moboboss's review

emotional

2.75

booktribe's review

I’m almost halfway done with the book and barely anything’s happened.