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mbgarhart's review
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
rigel's review against another edition
2.0
DNF @73%
Just can't force myself to pick it back up...
The flesh-eating bugs were interesting and horrifying but literally all that's been happening is that Aja is sitting around, talking, making plans, but not actually doing anything.
Just can't force myself to pick it back up...
The flesh-eating bugs were interesting and horrifying but literally all that's been happening is that Aja is sitting around, talking, making plans, but not actually doing anything.
misswinchester84's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
yealicea's review
5.0
I received Direwood as an audiobook ARC from NetGalley. This book is absolutely amazing. Set in a small town in Michigan (love a midwest setting)! Vampires, night church, gore, etc. This is the goriest book I've read so far, the way the author uses caterpillars and butterflies as companions for the vampires (and other things) was so intriguing to hear about. Towards the last few chapters of the book I couldn't get enough, it was action-packed with revenge plans. Then the plot twist (something bizarre happens) and I'm shocked, it was so unexpected. The way it was written, the author didn't hold back on details which made it all the more amazing to hear. The first chapter was so well written with details on colors of red and blood, it set the tone for the rest of the story and really grips readers/listeners to want more. A big thank you to NetGalley and Tantor audio for accepting me for an early listen.
br_walker32's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
4.0
Direwood by Catherine Yu is everything you want in a vampire fantasy book. It is a fun read and very interesting. I loved how the vampires captured the humans and I loved the vibe that the underworld gave to the reader. I don't read much vampire stories so this may just be me thinking aloud. But overall I thought this was a unique take on the vampire story telling and I loved it. The characters were well developed and the story flowed smoothly. I found myself emotionally invested to very character (even the vampires). I am excited to read what Catherine Yu has next! Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me to read and review this title!
popthebutterfly's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
3.0
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Direwood
Author: Catherine Yu
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For...: young adult readers, horror, vampires, fantasy, gothic
Publication Date: September 20, 2022
Genre: YA Horror
Age Relevance: 13+ (grief, gore, violence, cursing, kidnapping, death)
Explanation of Above: There is some death, blood gore, vomit gore, and violence in this book, along with grief. There is some slight cursing in the book. Kidnapping is shown in the book.
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Pages: 288
Synopsis: In this velvet-clad 1990s gothic horror, Aja encounters a charming vampire who wants to lure her into the woods—just like her missing sister.
No one ever pays attention to sixteen-year-old Aja until her perfect older sister Fiona goes missing. In the days leading up to Fiona’s disappearance, Aja notices some extraordinary things: a strange fog rolling through their idyllic suburban town, a brief moment when the sky seems to rain blood, and a host of parasitic caterpillars burrowing their way through the trees. Aja’s father, the neighbors, and even her ex-friend Mary all play down this strange string of occurrences, claiming there must be some natural explanation. It seems everyone is willing to keep living in denial until other teens start to go missing too.
Aja is horrified when she meets Padraic, the vampire responsible for all the strange occurrences. His hypnotic voice lures her to the window and tells her everything she’s longed to hear—she’s beautiful and special, and he wants nothing more than for Aja to come with him. Aja knows she shouldn’t trust him, but she’s barely able to resist his enthrallment. And following him into the woods may be the only way to find Fiona, so she agrees on one condition: He must let her leave alive if she is not wooed after one week. Though Aja plans to kill him before the week is out, Padraic has his own secrets as well.
In the misty woods, Aja finds that Padraic has made his nest with another vampire in a dilapidated church infested by blood-sucking butterflies. Within its walls, the vampires are waited on and entertained by other children they’ve enthralled, but there is no sign of Fiona. Before her bargain is up, Aja must find a way to turn her classmates against their captors, find her sister, and save them all—or be forced to join the very monsters she wants to destroy.
Review: I thought this was an ok vampire novel. The book revolves around our MC whose sister goes missing and her trying to find the sister when she encounters and make a deal with a vampire who has other motives for our MC. The book had some great moments including the mystery and the horror aspect of the book. It was very gothic feeling and I loved the world building of the book.
However, the book is super short and I feel like that works against the book. The book didn’t have room to fully develop the characters and they just kinda felt empty, including our MC. They remain strangers to the reader by the end of the novel and that’s not something that should be happening in the book. The book also has very fast pacing and I think more pages would have allowed the author to slow it down and work out a lot of those kinks.
Verdict: It was ok!
Book: Direwood
Author: Catherine Yu
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For...: young adult readers, horror, vampires, fantasy, gothic
Publication Date: September 20, 2022
Genre: YA Horror
Age Relevance: 13+ (grief, gore, violence, cursing, kidnapping, death)
Explanation of Above: There is some death, blood gore, vomit gore, and violence in this book, along with grief. There is some slight cursing in the book. Kidnapping is shown in the book.
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Pages: 288
Synopsis: In this velvet-clad 1990s gothic horror, Aja encounters a charming vampire who wants to lure her into the woods—just like her missing sister.
No one ever pays attention to sixteen-year-old Aja until her perfect older sister Fiona goes missing. In the days leading up to Fiona’s disappearance, Aja notices some extraordinary things: a strange fog rolling through their idyllic suburban town, a brief moment when the sky seems to rain blood, and a host of parasitic caterpillars burrowing their way through the trees. Aja’s father, the neighbors, and even her ex-friend Mary all play down this strange string of occurrences, claiming there must be some natural explanation. It seems everyone is willing to keep living in denial until other teens start to go missing too.
Aja is horrified when she meets Padraic, the vampire responsible for all the strange occurrences. His hypnotic voice lures her to the window and tells her everything she’s longed to hear—she’s beautiful and special, and he wants nothing more than for Aja to come with him. Aja knows she shouldn’t trust him, but she’s barely able to resist his enthrallment. And following him into the woods may be the only way to find Fiona, so she agrees on one condition: He must let her leave alive if she is not wooed after one week. Though Aja plans to kill him before the week is out, Padraic has his own secrets as well.
In the misty woods, Aja finds that Padraic has made his nest with another vampire in a dilapidated church infested by blood-sucking butterflies. Within its walls, the vampires are waited on and entertained by other children they’ve enthralled, but there is no sign of Fiona. Before her bargain is up, Aja must find a way to turn her classmates against their captors, find her sister, and save them all—or be forced to join the very monsters she wants to destroy.
Review: I thought this was an ok vampire novel. The book revolves around our MC whose sister goes missing and her trying to find the sister when she encounters and make a deal with a vampire who has other motives for our MC. The book had some great moments including the mystery and the horror aspect of the book. It was very gothic feeling and I loved the world building of the book.
However, the book is super short and I feel like that works against the book. The book didn’t have room to fully develop the characters and they just kinda felt empty, including our MC. They remain strangers to the reader by the end of the novel and that’s not something that should be happening in the book. The book also has very fast pacing and I think more pages would have allowed the author to slow it down and work out a lot of those kinks.
Verdict: It was ok!
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Let me just begin this review with what I liked. I enjoyed the atmosphere immensely. There's this almost sinister shadowy feeling to the scenes. And half the time I wasn't sure what Aja would stumble upon. While it definitely feels horror-lite, in a market where I am searching for horror and thrills, I do think that Direwood has the tendrils of smoke. Additionally I enjoyed the ways Yu plays around with vampires. With their manipulation and cynicism. There have been so many varied approaches to vampires recently. Whether they are purely blood soaked feasts or seemingly 're-discover' their humanity.
And while I'm not sure if these 'questions' are ever resolved - that may not be the purpose - I appreciated Yu's depiction of the vampires. But while I was drawn to Aja's relationship to her sister, I found that the middle dragged a bit. It was a loyalty and love I understood in principle, but failed to feel it in the pit of my stomach. I'm not sure if it's because Aja has a complicated relationship with her sister - I'm the queen of complex siblings - but in general I was a bit confused about the motivations of the (main) characters.
Let me just begin this review with what I liked. I enjoyed the atmosphere immensely. There's this almost sinister shadowy feeling to the scenes. And half the time I wasn't sure what Aja would stumble upon. While it definitely feels horror-lite, in a market where I am searching for horror and thrills, I do think that Direwood has the tendrils of smoke. Additionally I enjoyed the ways Yu plays around with vampires. With their manipulation and cynicism. There have been so many varied approaches to vampires recently. Whether they are purely blood soaked feasts or seemingly 're-discover' their humanity.
And while I'm not sure if these 'questions' are ever resolved - that may not be the purpose - I appreciated Yu's depiction of the vampires. But while I was drawn to Aja's relationship to her sister, I found that the middle dragged a bit. It was a loyalty and love I understood in principle, but failed to feel it in the pit of my stomach. I'm not sure if it's because Aja has a complicated relationship with her sister - I'm the queen of complex siblings - but in general I was a bit confused about the motivations of the (main) characters.
inkslinger's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
You had me at velvet-clad vampire.
I loved Padraic, both the name and the aesthetic of him as a character. He's easily my favorite part of the story and whenever he enters a scene it's automatically more interesting. In part due to my own romanticization of this style of vampire, but also because there's a visible shift whenever he graces the page. He's charismatic and intriguing from moment he utters his first words, if somewhat disturbing at times.
He's not the only protagonist here to play of course and that keeps things interesting.
Aja was just okay for me. She's another 'my perfect sister/I'm the outcast' character, which personally I find is far too prevalent in these types of tales. I do realize though, this is sometimes the personal experience of the writer and perhaps instead.. it's far too common a feeling within families, which is sad.
Thematically, I enjoyed the gothic horror elements Yu employed. The red rain and the creepy insects were a great addition to setting the feel of the story. I may never get out of my mind's eye the images of the butterflies.. so it's visually impactful in a long-lasting way.
Though the story is Young Adult Horror, at times it feels younger. Yu has a ton of creative potential and I'd like to see her develop characters a bit more and flex her use of language in future works.
If you're looking for a quick read with some unnerving horror elements, give this one a try.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
I loved Padraic, both the name and the aesthetic of him as a character. He's easily my favorite part of the story and whenever he enters a scene it's automatically more interesting. In part due to my own romanticization of this style of vampire, but also because there's a visible shift whenever he graces the page. He's charismatic and intriguing from moment he utters his first words, if somewhat disturbing at times.
He's not the only protagonist here to play of course and that keeps things interesting.
Aja was just okay for me. She's another 'my perfect sister/I'm the outcast' character, which personally I find is far too prevalent in these types of tales. I do realize though, this is sometimes the personal experience of the writer and perhaps instead.. it's far too common a feeling within families, which is sad.
Thematically, I enjoyed the gothic horror elements Yu employed. The red rain and the creepy insects were a great addition to setting the feel of the story. I may never get out of my mind's eye the images of the butterflies.. so it's visually impactful in a long-lasting way.
Though the story is Young Adult Horror, at times it feels younger. Yu has a ton of creative potential and I'd like to see her develop characters a bit more and flex her use of language in future works.
If you're looking for a quick read with some unnerving horror elements, give this one a try.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)