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jojopenguinreads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This book was a bit of an underwhelming disappointment.
I was sold on a 1990s Gothic vampire horror story, and I went into this story anticipating it to ooze with '90s vibes and camp?? And it really didn't?????
Also the pacing wasn't all that great - the middle of this book DRAGGED, while the first and last 15% was so, so good! But otherwise this book was just... a little boring? Idk, I just expected more, the premise was so promising and exciting, and the cover is to DIE for! I was so excited to read this but ultimately I just feel a little let-down. Amazing concept with lackluster execution.
And there are bits of the plot that I'm still wondering about? Like... where EXACTLY are the vampires from? Where is the blood rain coming from, how does it happen, and how is it connected to the vampires? How are the blood-thirsty caterpillars and vampires related to the vampires, and where do they come from originally, what's their history, what's the purpose? Why haven't people from the town stumbled across the vampires' den, or searched in that forest for the missing teens??? Just...??? What, why, who, how??? Things feel left unanswered in the end.
But despite all this, the writing for this book is so gorgeous! Catherine Yu does such a great job at creating very visceral and clear, and iconic, imagery, and the way she writes moments of body horror is so creepy and unsettling! Just AUGH!! The writing was so good, so tasty - this book's saving grace. I just wish the plot and characters were this good fr fr.
Also I listened to the audiobook, and if it weren't for Cindy Kay's narration I more than likely would've DNF'd.
I was sold on a 1990s Gothic vampire horror story, and I went into this story anticipating it to ooze with '90s vibes and camp?? And it really didn't?????
Also the pacing wasn't all that great - the middle of this book DRAGGED, while the first and last 15% was so, so good! But otherwise this book was just... a little boring? Idk, I just expected more, the premise was so promising and exciting, and the cover is to DIE for! I was so excited to read this but ultimately I just feel a little let-down. Amazing concept with lackluster execution.
And there are bits of the plot that I'm still wondering about? Like... where EXACTLY are the vampires from? Where is the blood rain coming from, how does it happen, and how is it connected to the vampires? How are the blood-thirsty caterpillars and vampires related to the vampires, and where do they come from originally, what's their history, what's the purpose? Why haven't people from the town stumbled across the vampires' den, or searched in that forest for the missing teens??? Just...??? What, why, who, how??? Things feel left unanswered in the end.
But despite all this, the writing for this book is so gorgeous! Catherine Yu does such a great job at creating very visceral and clear, and iconic, imagery, and the way she writes moments of body horror is so creepy and unsettling! Just AUGH!! The writing was so good, so tasty - this book's saving grace. I just wish the plot and characters were this good fr fr.
Also I listened to the audiobook, and if it weren't for Cindy Kay's narration I more than likely would've DNF'd.
courtney_mm's review
3.0
idk what exactly a 90s gothic vampire novel is like, but if I had to say, it would be exactly this. Like although I didn't exactly love the plot of this, for some reason I enjoyed the vibe of this book. Like it was a very clear, cut and dry vampire story, nothing crazy happened (or like, nothing at all really happened) but it wasss so creepy and atmospheric. Like the caterpillars, the butterflies, the vampires weridly and randomly being in this churuch. idk I feel like I missed something and it was supposed to be more symbolic or something than it was because it felttt deep and creepy but I can't say I particularly was excited by this. but I LOVED the beginning with the bloody rain and bugs and her sister missing, and the vampire calling her. like I really wish we lived in that more before going to visit the vampire. The middle dragged on and didn't seem to go anywhere, but I did quite enjoy perfect Fiona being the vampire that her sister had to kill.
~ thanks to Netgalley for the arc~
~ thanks to Netgalley for the arc~
yellowmoonreads's review
2.0
Extremely boring. I kept waiting for a big reveal or the turning point of this book and it never came. The vampires suddenly appear and there's no real build up, but it's not done in a creepy or shocking way, it just happens. Descriptions are pretty nonexistent and I think that's why there's so much repetitiveness. You are told things a lot but never shown, like that apparently the vampires are hot
rcaivano's review against another edition
A deliciously creepy book. Very dark, very goth, very spooky. Aja is lured into the woods by a beautiful vampire and although she is caught in his spell, she is still herself enough to know she can't succumb. Her sister is missing, and she's trying to find her. She keeps her wits about her, but every once in a while, she slips. The books had a very lyrical feel. I felt like I was being lulled into the vampire's trance every time I read it. I did like it, but it was so creepy - there were these horrid bugs every where, and I thought they'd have more to do with the story and I kept waiting and waiting but nothing, so that disappointed me a bit.
marsfire04's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
accidentallyinspace's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Of all the YA books I have read, this is the YA-ist. A bland, insipid main character who wrings her hands over every line of dialogue and flip flops / forgets important information when convenient. A plot that lurches forward on convenience and not anything resembling logic or useful characters. Time seems to pass in this novel at an appreciable fraction of the speed of light, as the main characters only have roughly 30 minutes of daylight with which to do anything in before they just give up for the day and let the vampires toy with them some more that night.
The book seems like it wants to say something about upper class white suburbia and its horrible xenophobia, which seemed like it was going to be profound at the beginning, and ends up kinda trailing off without saying anything, with the end resolution being the main character's dad... Stop mowing the lawn as much? Hang out with her more?
There are a few good bits, some truly gnarly descriptions of gothic or body horror, and decent descriptions, but it's not enough really.
Likely I am just old and crotetchy by now and the YA section is not written with me in mind.
The book seems like it wants to say something about upper class white suburbia and its horrible xenophobia, which seemed like it was going to be profound at the beginning, and ends up kinda trailing off without saying anything, with the end resolution being the main character's dad... Stop mowing the lawn as much? Hang out with her more?
There are a few good bits, some truly gnarly descriptions of gothic or body horror, and decent descriptions, but it's not enough really.
Likely I am just old and crotetchy by now and the YA section is not written with me in mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Torture, and Blood
booksthatburn's review against another edition
I don’t like the narrator nor the style.
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm and Toxic friendship
elpidamelis's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
2.0
Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of this book. Overly repetitive, slow-moving with writing that reminded me of old YA paranormal fantasies. Much of what happened didn't make any sense. The characters were one-dimensional and highly unlikeable. The dialogue and the main character's inner thoughts were senseless at times. And the plot itself felt bland. I just feel like not much happened. The romance also felt very forced. 2 stars because it was a short quick read that wasn't completely awful (the gore was described quite well), but not one I'd recommend for vampire lovers such as myself.
whatsheread's review against another edition
2.75
Direwood by Catherine Yu should be a book I adore. After all, it is a gothic horror story about vampires. Usually, that would be enough to earn an automatic A. Unfortunately, I could not get into the story enough to enjoy it. The vampires were too one-noted, and Aja is a bit too annoying in her inability to view the world in any way other than superficially. Add to it the weird, blood-sucking butterflies and caterpillars and the red rain that no one else seemed to notice, and it felt like Ms. Yu was trying too hard to make her vampire story different from the million others in existence. She doesn’t explain much of anything, so you slog through the story hoping that something will make sense soon. It doesn’t help that I could not keep awake while reading it. No matter what time of day, I found myself nodding off while reading even a few pages. All of this is to say that I was not a fan of Direwood. There are much better examples of gothic horror stories and way better vampire stories.
somuchformedia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0