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authorheatherw's review against another edition
3.0
Natalie C. Parker can definitely write great, atmospheric YA novels. I loved her first outing in the series, Beware the Wild, so I was stoked to get my hands on the sequel Behold the Bones. Although the gothic feel was still there and the writing was amazing, I didn’t have as much love for book two as the first in the series.
My main complaint with Behold the Bones? I just didn’t care for the main character Candy as much. Candy was well developed, but I just found her too abrasive for me. I didn’t mind that she was tough, I liked that about her, but she could be rude and obnoxious to the people who loved her. I liked her friends much more than Candy and would have rather read a book from Abigail’s POV.
The beginning was exciting and I was interested in the “curse” affecting Candy and her family. But there was a major slowdown after the beginning and I found my interest waning. Luckily, the plot picked up again about two-thirds of the way through and I was able to finish the rest of the book quickly.
The swamp setting is by far the star of the book and the chapters that highlighted the haunted Louisiana swamp were the most riveting. Although the hauntings start affecting other areas of the town, the creep factor went away up anytime the swamp came into play.
Although Behold the Bones wasn’t my favorite book, I still would read more from the author and look forward to checking out her future novels.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
My main complaint with Behold the Bones? I just didn’t care for the main character Candy as much. Candy was well developed, but I just found her too abrasive for me. I didn’t mind that she was tough, I liked that about her, but she could be rude and obnoxious to the people who loved her. I liked her friends much more than Candy and would have rather read a book from Abigail’s POV.
The beginning was exciting and I was interested in the “curse” affecting Candy and her family. But there was a major slowdown after the beginning and I found my interest waning. Luckily, the plot picked up again about two-thirds of the way through and I was able to finish the rest of the book quickly.
The swamp setting is by far the star of the book and the chapters that highlighted the haunted Louisiana swamp were the most riveting. Although the hauntings start affecting other areas of the town, the creep factor went away up anytime the swamp came into play.
Although Behold the Bones wasn’t my favorite book, I still would read more from the author and look forward to checking out her future novels.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
ryuutchi's review against another edition
3.0
There are a lot of things I liked about this book-- queer characters, interesting setting, the fact that the expected romances were circumvented (can we have a whole book about Riley?)
And then there was the "barren" plot line. Because g-d forbid a book handle a young woman dealing with her body's issues without it turning out to be fucking MAGIC. And g-d forbid a book handle a female character's ostensible inability to have kids as anything other than a fucking "deficiency".
And then there was the "barren" plot line. Because g-d forbid a book handle a young woman dealing with her body's issues without it turning out to be fucking MAGIC. And g-d forbid a book handle a female character's ostensible inability to have kids as anything other than a fucking "deficiency".
juliezantopoulos's review
honest, if I get to past 50 pages and just don't care about a book...and it's a YA...I'm not forcing it anymore.
liz1004's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Not quite as good as the first one for me, but still enjoyable.
Not quite as good as the first one for me, but still enjoyable.
reader_fictions's review
4.0
Since I ran out of time for rereading Beware the Wild, I was concerned I would be lost in Behold the Bones, and that my enjoyment of it would suffer as a result, but Behold the Bones actually stands alone really well. Plus, Parker does a great job of refreshing you on what happened in the previous book naturally, without beating you over the head with a recounting at the start.
Behold the Bones actually worked for me even better than Beware the Wild, though I think the plot was a bit less consistently intense. Of course, me being me, I was so there for Candy’s sassy voice and I’ll take voice over plot any day. And, to be clear, the plot’s fun and it’s not a mess, but it’s kind of slow and drifty for a while and then the ending is whoa in a good way. But yeah this one was so voicey, and I’m just a huge fan of Candy. I still didn’t really connect emotionally with the book, but I had so much damn fun reading it.
The romance in Behold the Bones is…a bit awkward. I mean, kind of in a good way, I think, but yeah it’s not what I typically expect. It’s a good thing objectively but it’s also not very shippy really, and there was one aspect of it that I wasn’t sold on from a characterization perspective.So I like that the mysterious hot boy who wants to protect her with vague warnings was not the guy, and I even like that she got to know the school bad boy/bully better and to see him differently literally. But I don’t really get what caused the change in Riley, so it was hard to be totally convinced about that transformation; did Gage hit him with the Shine or?
Parker’s writing is still utterly lovely; she does such a fabulous job writing in a way that makes everything feel deeply imbued with southernness without going all dialect. Seriously impressed with this series, and I know I want to read anything she writes.
Behold the Bones actually worked for me even better than Beware the Wild, though I think the plot was a bit less consistently intense. Of course, me being me, I was so there for Candy’s sassy voice and I’ll take voice over plot any day. And, to be clear, the plot’s fun and it’s not a mess, but it’s kind of slow and drifty for a while and then the ending is whoa in a good way. But yeah this one was so voicey, and I’m just a huge fan of Candy. I still didn’t really connect emotionally with the book, but I had so much damn fun reading it.
The romance in Behold the Bones is…a bit awkward. I mean, kind of in a good way, I think, but yeah it’s not what I typically expect. It’s a good thing objectively but it’s also not very shippy really, and there was one aspect of it that I wasn’t sold on from a characterization perspective.
Parker’s writing is still utterly lovely; she does such a fabulous job writing in a way that makes everything feel deeply imbued with southernness without going all dialect. Seriously impressed with this series, and I know I want to read anything she writes.
ruthsic's review
3.0
Candace “Candy” Pickens has been obsessed with the swamp lore of her tiny Louisiana town for...forever. Name any ghostly swamp figure and Candy will recite the entire tale in a way that will curl your toes and send chills up your spine.
That doesn’t mean Candy’s a believer, however. But with swamp haunts appearing around town every day, a suspicious new family in town, and her own mind starting to betray her, Candy must come to terms with the one piece of swamp lore she’s never heard before. It’s a tale that’s more truth than myth, and may hold all the answers...and its roots are in Candy’s own family tree.
Sequel to Beware the Wild, this story focuses on Sterling's best friend Candy, the one who was immune to Shine. Candy is a confident, headstrong girl, the kind who has been brought up on stories but chooses to enjoy them, not believe them. She has the same disbelief towards the Craven Curse - a phenomenon that happens in her family of one descendant in a generation being born when another dies. After the events of the last book, she is a bit frustrated that everybody can see the new ghosts but not she. Since the ghosts are connected to the Shine and she is able to dispel them, she thinks that is the one thing setting her apart from the rest of the town.
The arrival of the King family certainly adds drama to the plot. Their wanting to use her on the paranormal footage they are gathering, as well as her recently diagnosed sterility, both add to Candy's alienation. She feels isolated and burdened with her heritage, and the story is her coming to terms with that. Her friends Sterling and Abigail are her rocks, and how the dynamic between them changes is well-written. While the story was certainly different and interesting, I did not like the pacing of this book either. It was too slow, and almost everything of importance happens in the last quarter of the book. Not to mention the characters seem to be a bit inconsistent, or maybe their realization is. Either way, I did not enjoy this book as much as I would have.
Received a free galley from HarperTeen, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
That doesn’t mean Candy’s a believer, however. But with swamp haunts appearing around town every day, a suspicious new family in town, and her own mind starting to betray her, Candy must come to terms with the one piece of swamp lore she’s never heard before. It’s a tale that’s more truth than myth, and may hold all the answers...and its roots are in Candy’s own family tree.
Sequel to Beware the Wild, this story focuses on Sterling's best friend Candy, the one who was immune to Shine. Candy is a confident, headstrong girl, the kind who has been brought up on stories but chooses to enjoy them, not believe them. She has the same disbelief towards the Craven Curse - a phenomenon that happens in her family of one descendant in a generation being born when another dies. After the events of the last book, she is a bit frustrated that everybody can see the new ghosts but not she. Since the ghosts are connected to the Shine and she is able to dispel them, she thinks that is the one thing setting her apart from the rest of the town.
The arrival of the King family certainly adds drama to the plot. Their wanting to use her on the paranormal footage they are gathering, as well as her recently diagnosed sterility, both add to Candy's alienation. She feels isolated and burdened with her heritage, and the story is her coming to terms with that. Her friends Sterling and Abigail are her rocks, and how the dynamic between them changes is well-written. While the story was certainly different and interesting, I did not like the pacing of this book either. It was too slow, and almost everything of importance happens in the last quarter of the book. Not to mention the characters seem to be a bit inconsistent, or maybe their realization is. Either way, I did not enjoy this book as much as I would have.
Received a free galley from HarperTeen, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
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