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joreadsbooks's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Listened to a NetGalley AudioARC
Content warning: body & bug horror, death, on-page violence, racial microaggressions, vomiting
Content warning: body & bug horror, death, on-page violence, racial microaggressions, vomiting
Aja’s perfect sister Fiona goes missing and strange things start happening: blood rain, a mysterious fog, blood-sucking grubs, all precursors to the arrival of a vampire. She strikes a bargain with Padraic and tries to free the kids in his thrall, including her ex-friend Mary,
Gross, goth, and steeped in 90’s vampire aesthetic, a fun read for folks constantly searching for new vampire content.
The horror here comes from the atmosphere and the constant presence of insects in places you really don’t expect them. The detail of the blood-sucking caterpillars and the incredibly aesthetically appropriate butterflies is so good. Most of the action takes place in an abandoned church in the woods, and it’s drenched in atmosphere. The ticking clock on Aja on finding her sister also works incredibly. The tension is tight from start to finish, wound up like a violin string.
What I found the most compelling about this horror is Aja’s relationship with her sister, Fiona. She always felt like she has been in her sister’s shadow, trying her hardest to not be seen anyway. Coupled with the context of her ex-friendship with Mary, the tension is so good. It’s great to see her grow from start to finish, but, since this is a horror novel, it comes at a great cost, the likes of which I will not spoil.
I also appreciated how monstrous but alluring the vampires were. It’s easy to understand how Aja fell into Padraic’s thrall. Seeing Padraic reconnect with his humanity plays well with Aja coming into her own and scheming like a vampire hunter. The fact that she seems aware of vampires as a lore concept felt super refreshing as far as the worldbuilding goes, so it’s fun to see that cleverness play out, especially as things get dire. This book goes to some bonkers imagery and deeply aesthetic emotional beats.
If you’re not bothered by caterpillars and butterflies in places they shouldn’t be, definitely give this fun time a go.
dilliemillie's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
In case you couldn't tell from the everything about this book, it's full of vampires and eeriness and gross descriptions. As someone who loves all of those things, of course I had to give it a try!
Ultimately I think this is one of those books where a young adult audience might love it, but it just isn't my style.
Insufferable main character Aja has an inferiority complex about her sister and extreme antagonism toward her "best friend" Mary because she chooses to put a negative spin on everything Mary does. No wonder Mary is mad at her! Aja uses most of her allotted seven days with the vampires just waiting and doing nothing at all, with occasional mooning over one of the vampires. She insists from the very beginning that vampires are the ultimate evil (their state of deadness being a big component of that evil, because ??) but the more she sees of that evil, the more she tries to convince herself that they still have humanity. It's confusing in a way that I believe is intended to reflect Aja's mixed up state of mind, but I don't think it worked well.
The grotesque descriptions and body horror are winners for me! though they unfortunately lean heavily toward repetition. I do love the added element of Aja feeling out of place in her all-white town and how that affects her life and sense of self. Cindy Kay did a good job with the narration, and the audiobook is a fine option for picking up this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ultimately I think this is one of those books where a young adult audience might love it, but it just isn't my style.
Insufferable main character Aja has an inferiority complex about her sister and extreme antagonism toward her "best friend" Mary because she chooses to put a negative spin on everything Mary does. No wonder Mary is mad at her! Aja uses most of her allotted seven days with the vampires just waiting and doing nothing at all, with occasional mooning over one of the vampires. She insists from the very beginning that vampires are the ultimate evil (their state of deadness being a big component of that evil, because ??) but the more she sees of that evil, the more she tries to convince herself that they still have humanity. It's confusing in a way that I believe is intended to reflect Aja's mixed up state of mind, but I don't think it worked well.
The grotesque descriptions and body horror are winners for me! though they unfortunately lean heavily toward repetition. I do love the added element of Aja feeling out of place in her all-white town and how that affects her life and sense of self. Cindy Kay did a good job with the narration, and the audiobook is a fine option for picking up this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
amobrien's review
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.75
Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
Gothic 90s young adult horror perfect for the spooky season. This story follows Aja in the search for her older sister after she goes missing. Yu's storytelling is descriptive, lush, and incredibly original.
Gothic 90s young adult horror perfect for the spooky season. This story follows Aja in the search for her older sister after she goes missing. Yu's storytelling is descriptive, lush, and incredibly original.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Blood
Minor: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Toxic friendship, and Body horror
bookingwithjanelle's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I love that this is set in the 90s with all the great references to that time (80s baby here). It felt nostalgic but with a largely creepy undertone as the reader is described what is slowly happening to this town. I empathized with the main character and how she felt within both her family dynamic and within the residents of the town.
From there, it just got creepier & the some of the descriptions of the things she sees and hears made a chill run down my spine. At the same time though, I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it. It was both sad & hopeful with a little uneasiness thrown in that made it a great read.
Catherine Yu is definitely on my reading radar now!
From there, it just got creepier & the some of the descriptions of the things she sees and hears made a chill run down my spine. At the same time though, I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it. It was both sad & hopeful with a little uneasiness thrown in that made it a great read.
Catherine Yu is definitely on my reading radar now!
our_bookish_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Catherine Yu's debut, Direwood, is a very atmospheric, mesmerizing, and fairly short book which moved along at a medium pace. I was fully immersed in the story within a couple pages. The descriptions of the characters, sounds, events, and world are just beautifully written. I absolutely loved Cindy Kay's narration.
Aja was a great character, however, I could have done without her self depreciation; thankfully it was only sporadic. Aja is very angry because nobody will listen to a thing she says about her missing sister. Can she find her and bring her home?
Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Aja was a great character, however, I could have done without her self depreciation; thankfully it was only sporadic. Aja is very angry because nobody will listen to a thing she says about her missing sister. Can she find her and bring her home?
Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
jayishino's review
4.0
DIrewood is the story of Aja, her perfect sister Fiona, and vampires. After Fiona goes missing, in her search for her sister, Aja finds a church in the woods. Although the church is abandoned, it's not empty. A silver-tongued vampire, Padraic has made his home there, where missing children serve him, but Fiona is nowhere to be found.
If you're looking for a love story, look elsewhere. The only love here is the love Aja has for her sister, which is so strong she's willing to make a deal with a dangerous monster just for the chance to find her. One thing I never thought I'd say in a book review is I never thought I'd be horrified of caterpillars, but this book did a good job of making me supremely grossed out by them. I enjoyed the world Yu created, and I appreciate that this isn't a sappy love story. How much Aja hated on herself grated on me after a while.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Cindy Kay is and always will be one of my favorite narrators, and as expected, she delivers here too. Definitely recommend the audiobook of Direwood.
If you're looking for a love story, look elsewhere. The only love here is the love Aja has for her sister, which is so strong she's willing to make a deal with a dangerous monster just for the chance to find her. One thing I never thought I'd say in a book review is I never thought I'd be horrified of caterpillars, but this book did a good job of making me supremely grossed out by them. I enjoyed the world Yu created, and I appreciate that this isn't a sappy love story. How much Aja hated on herself grated on me after a while.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Cindy Kay is and always will be one of my favorite narrators, and as expected, she delivers here too. Definitely recommend the audiobook of Direwood.
annamariahz's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Extraordinary events begin occurring in Aja's tiny town the week her sister Fiona disappears. Blood rain falls from the sky, a strange fog sweeps through town, and creepy parasitic caterpillars pop up everywhere. Everyone thinks it is just a strange coincidence, but then more teens go missing. When the vampire responsible shows up at her door, Aja agrees to go with him and fights his hypnosis to try and save her sister. This is a great spooky season read! I loved the spooky atmosphere and how the author described the hypnotic vampires. I also liked that Aja was an unreliable narrator, so you never quite knew what she would do or say next. I didn't love how slow the middle of the book was. The story was very intriguing at the beginning and exciting at the end, but the middle was a little boring. Overall it was a great spooky read, perfect for the fall!
Thank you to Page Street Kids for gifting me this ARC as part of a Goodreads giveaway! It was a spooky and fun read!
Thank you to Page Street Kids for gifting me this ARC as part of a Goodreads giveaway! It was a spooky and fun read!
debussy's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5