Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Isadora Chang ran away from her town at 16 after the tragic deaths of two of her best friends. Two years later she returns to the strange town after the death of her abusive father and there is a reckoning that needs to happen. An evil in this town refuses to let Isadora get away for a second time.
Creepy in the best way is the how I would describe this book. Wen-Yi Lee weaves a story of curses, young love and fear all in one. Isa is an 18 year old girl that returns home after 2 years for her fathers funeral. We never find out exactly where this town is we know its small and there is a city pretty close by where Isa attends an Art School. Her art has been changing lately and it starts to predict things she can’t possibly imagine. With the help of her other childhood friend Mason, they follow the clues left in Isa’s drawings and try to bring this ancient evil haunting their town to an end. I really loved this book. Worth the read.
Creepy in the best way is the how I would describe this book. Wen-Yi Lee weaves a story of curses, young love and fear all in one. Isa is an 18 year old girl that returns home after 2 years for her fathers funeral. We never find out exactly where this town is we know its small and there is a city pretty close by where Isa attends an Art School. Her art has been changing lately and it starts to predict things she can’t possibly imagine. With the help of her other childhood friend Mason, they follow the clues left in Isa’s drawings and try to bring this ancient evil haunting their town to an end. I really loved this book. Worth the read.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"It doesn’t seem fair, that grief is so everlasting, while the happiness seems to fade as the moment does."
THE DARK WE KNOW is a story that sits on your chest with a weight that is undeniable. It's words carved from slate and the beat of butterfly wings and the feeling of pencil shuddering across paper. Lee transfixed me with her world, and Isadora kept me rooted in it. I fell in love with its characters and hated what it took from them—and I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to.
"The original monster here has always been human. We can outlive that, but we need to be allowed the chance to."
Whilst I wasn't expecting the religious themes to tie into the thriller elements the way they did, I do believe the execution of the force that wields the town of Slater with stony fingers and a thousand eyes was extremely well done; the lore given to describe the town, and the secrets it was built upon, made everything fall into place for me. TDWK explored so much more than just supernatural forces—it was a story of grief, of those who are left behind, of struggling with an identity that never felt like your own, of love, of friendship and of the will to survive on your own terms.
"To be seen trying is to be flayed open, wet heart bared to the elements; to falter is to fall."
From the moment I read the acknowledgement, I knew this would be a book that I would love. Lee's writing is the sort that envelops you in a hug; sometimes it's suffocating, how close the words feel to your skin—and most of time, it's heartachingly beautiful and comforting in its own right. It's an expertly crafted combination and makes for an absolutely incredibly debut. Please grab your own copy, and be sure to check for the TWs before reading!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!
THE DARK WE KNOW is a story that sits on your chest with a weight that is undeniable. It's words carved from slate and the beat of butterfly wings and the feeling of pencil shuddering across paper. Lee transfixed me with her world, and Isadora kept me rooted in it. I fell in love with its characters and hated what it took from them—and I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to.
"The original monster here has always been human. We can outlive that, but we need to be allowed the chance to."
Whilst I wasn't expecting the religious themes to tie into the thriller elements the way they did, I do believe the execution of the force that wields the town of Slater with stony fingers and a thousand eyes was extremely well done; the lore given to describe the town, and the secrets it was built upon, made everything fall into place for me. TDWK explored so much more than just supernatural forces—it was a story of grief, of those who are left behind, of struggling with an identity that never felt like your own, of love, of friendship and of the will to survive on your own terms.
"To be seen trying is to be flayed open, wet heart bared to the elements; to falter is to fall."
From the moment I read the acknowledgement, I knew this would be a book that I would love. Lee's writing is the sort that envelops you in a hug; sometimes it's suffocating, how close the words feel to your skin—and most of time, it's heartachingly beautiful and comforting in its own right. It's an expertly crafted combination and makes for an absolutely incredibly debut. Please grab your own copy, and be sure to check for the TWs before reading!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!
dark
emotional
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I listened to the audiobook. It didn't really captivate my attention. I think the last 25% of the book was the best part when things were starting to be revealed.
Spoilers below.
Is comes back home because her father has passed away. They attend his funeral. When she arrives back, she finds out that a girl she used to know has gone missing and then we find out that before Isa had left, 2 of her friends had gone missing and passed away. Isa has this ability to draw the missing person because she was snatched as a kid but luckily was able to get back to her real life. She befriends Mason again and he has the ability to see and speak to ghosts. They both use their abilities to find out what happened to their friends and the current missing girl. People seem to think they are responsible but come to find out a supernatural angel is the one who has been doing this and it turns out to be Mason's grandmother. Wild! Also we find out Isa's mom actually killed her father. I could relate with how Isa felt about living up to what her father expected. I wouldn't really say this was horror, but just more supernatural mystery.
Spoilers below.
Is comes back home because her father has passed away. They attend his funeral. When she arrives back, she finds out that a girl she used to know has gone missing and then we find out that before Isa had left, 2 of her friends had gone missing and passed away. Isa has this ability to draw the missing person because she was snatched as a kid but luckily was able to get back to her real life. She befriends Mason again and he has the ability to see and speak to ghosts. They both use their abilities to find out what happened to their friends and the current missing girl. People seem to think they are responsible but come to find out a supernatural angel is the one who has been doing this and it turns out to be Mason's grandmother. Wild! Also we find out Isa's mom actually killed her father. I could relate with how Isa felt about living up to what her father expected. I wouldn't really say this was horror, but just more supernatural mystery.
dark
mysterious
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
This is certainly an atmospheric story, and Lee has a writing style that's so descriptive you're almost transported there. The characters also leap off the page, Isa in particular. She has a particularly strong personality that you're hit with right from the beginning.
Where I struggled with this book is the pacing. There's a lot of spooky, atmospheric elements, but it feels like it ends too quickly. A bit more resolution at the end would have helped the story breath, and give an overall more satisfying ending.
Be warned, there are also some pretty strong religious undertones in this, especially related to religious trauma. It's well done, but it is a pretty big aspect of the story.
Where I struggled with this book is the pacing. There's a lot of spooky, atmospheric elements, but it feels like it ends too quickly. A bit more resolution at the end would have helped the story breath, and give an overall more satisfying ending.
Be warned, there are also some pretty strong religious undertones in this, especially related to religious trauma. It's well done, but it is a pretty big aspect of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Violence
Minor: Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Transphobia
Wen-yi Lee said her inspirations for this book were her love for the Deaf West production of Spring Awakening and the Taylor Swift lyric "are there still beautiful things?" And having now read this book, yeah. Those were her inspirations.
I have to be honest--I don't really care for Spring Awakening, but I do like that Taylor Swift lyric, and I loved this book. It is exactly the kind of horror I love--queer, more emotional than scary, the haunting is real but also a metaphor--and exactly the kind of retelling I have the best luck with--queer, inspired by something I have enough familiarity with to recognize the references but not so much love for that I get frustrated when the author's interpretation of something is different than mine. (Yes, this isn't technically a retelling, but like. It's definitely fanfiction, and I mean that as a compliment, or at least a neutral statement. I am a fanfiction defender until the day I die)
First of all, I loved the writing. There were so many quotes I wanted to underline because they hit me so hard, and so many others that were just beautiful. The ending was just passages upon passages I wanted seared into my soul.
The characters were just as lovely. Isa, the protagonist, is exactly the kind of YA protagonist I want to see more of--angry queer teenage girl who is doing her best and doesn't always manage it, but who keeps trying. I say again--the ending.
While I keep making references to it, I don't want to go in depth about the ending. However, what I will say is I loved how this book managed to balance the desire to extend sympathy and forgiveness while also making it clear that sympathy is not always enough to actually earn forgiveness. That was present throughout the book, but particularly by the end.
This book was so, so beautiful, and I'm glad I read it.
I have to be honest--I don't really care for Spring Awakening, but I do like that Taylor Swift lyric, and I loved this book. It is exactly the kind of horror I love--queer, more emotional than scary, the haunting is real but also a metaphor--and exactly the kind of retelling I have the best luck with--queer, inspired by something I have enough familiarity with to recognize the references but not so much love for that I get frustrated when the author's interpretation of something is different than mine. (Yes, this isn't technically a retelling, but like. It's definitely fanfiction, and I mean that as a compliment, or at least a neutral statement. I am a fanfiction defender until the day I die)
First of all, I loved the writing. There were so many quotes I wanted to underline because they hit me so hard, and so many others that were just beautiful. The ending was just passages upon passages I wanted seared into my soul.
The characters were just as lovely. Isa, the protagonist, is exactly the kind of YA protagonist I want to see more of--angry queer teenage girl who is doing her best and doesn't always manage it, but who keeps trying. I say again--the ending.
While I keep making references to it, I don't want to go in depth about the ending. However, what I will say is I loved how this book managed to balance the desire to extend sympathy and forgiveness while also making it clear that sympathy is not always enough to actually earn forgiveness. That was present throughout the book, but particularly by the end.
This book was so, so beautiful, and I'm glad I read it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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