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thejoellachapter's review
3.0
I am fairly certain that I picked this up during the Barnes & Noble 50% off sale, but I’m not 100% sure. The synopsis really spoke to me though. Small town? Ghost bride? Haunted woods? Yes, please.
Where Echoes Lie is a coming-of-age story with a side of spooky mystery and compelling twists and atmosphere. The main character, Rena Faye is trying to juggle her love for photography, a toxic family environment, a potential romance, and a possible curse. I think she was a very well written character, and certainly embodied the headspace of a 17 year old girl struggling with growing up. However, at times, she was difficult to like.
The ghost bride and haunting is why I was interested in this book, but it was not as much of the focus as I had anticipated. There were a couple surprising twists concerning her identity and what happened to her the night she died, and the ghost bride’s story wrapped up really nicely and was a satisfying ending.
However, I was disappointed in the lack of closure concerning Rena Faye’s familial issues. Her parents were quite controlling and borderline emotionally abusive towards her (Namely the father, I was not a fan). She did stand up to them quite a few times, and I thought it seemed like she was making quite a bit of progress in that area, but then it feels like she just gave up and brushed it off by the final chapter.
Where Echoes Lie is a coming-of-age story with a side of spooky mystery and compelling twists and atmosphere. The main character, Rena Faye is trying to juggle her love for photography, a toxic family environment, a potential romance, and a possible curse. I think she was a very well written character, and certainly embodied the headspace of a 17 year old girl struggling with growing up. However, at times, she was difficult to like.
The ghost bride and haunting is why I was interested in this book, but it was not as much of the focus as I had anticipated. There were a couple surprising twists concerning her identity and what happened to her the night she died, and the ghost bride’s story wrapped up really nicely and was a satisfying ending.
However, I was disappointed in the lack of closure concerning Rena Faye’s familial issues. Her parents were quite controlling and borderline emotionally abusive towards her (Namely the father, I was not a fan). She did stand up to them quite a few times, and I thought it seemed like she was making quite a bit of progress in that area, but then it feels like she just gave up and brushed it off by the final chapter.
wdianasheppard's review
4.0
Thank you so much to the publisher and to Edelweiss for the ARC; I very much enjoyed the time I spent with "Where Echoes Lie".
This young adult horror follows a young teenager named Rena who's disillusioned with her summer plans dissolving: instead of going on a fun trip, she's going to work for her parents' failing motel in rural Kentucky. Again. Rena manages to get herself embroiled in a local mystery: is the urban legend about a ghost bride haunting a beautiful waterfall true? And if so... why is the bride haunting HER?
There was a lot to enjoy about this book - it featured interesting relationships, the side characters were well-done, and I thought that Rena's struggle with her family was complex and nuanced. Probably my favorite thing about this book was the depiction of Kentucky - you really feel that this took place in the South. The characters are Southern, working class, but there was no stereotyping or condescension involved in depicting them. So often Southern characters are all about the quirkiness! The over-the-top sayings! The "bless your hearts"! And instead, these were just people who felt real, who did good things and bad things, and had certain perspectives that are regressive, and some that were fine, but the book presented them neutrally and without any of that "look at these slack-jawed, ignorant yokels!" that you sometimes get in books taking place in the Deep South. As an Alabamian from a rural area, I was thrilled.
And the ghost bride? Spooky stuff. Definitely grab this one if you want an easy-to-read creepy fall read with fun characters and a good mystery.
This young adult horror follows a young teenager named Rena who's disillusioned with her summer plans dissolving: instead of going on a fun trip, she's going to work for her parents' failing motel in rural Kentucky. Again. Rena manages to get herself embroiled in a local mystery: is the urban legend about a ghost bride haunting a beautiful waterfall true? And if so... why is the bride haunting HER?
There was a lot to enjoy about this book - it featured interesting relationships, the side characters were well-done, and I thought that Rena's struggle with her family was complex and nuanced. Probably my favorite thing about this book was the depiction of Kentucky - you really feel that this took place in the South. The characters are Southern, working class, but there was no stereotyping or condescension involved in depicting them. So often Southern characters are all about the quirkiness! The over-the-top sayings! The "bless your hearts"! And instead, these were just people who felt real, who did good things and bad things, and had certain perspectives that are regressive, and some that were fine, but the book presented them neutrally and without any of that "look at these slack-jawed, ignorant yokels!" that you sometimes get in books taking place in the Deep South. As an Alabamian from a rural area, I was thrilled.
And the ghost bride? Spooky stuff. Definitely grab this one if you want an easy-to-read creepy fall read with fun characters and a good mystery.
bookopinions's review
3.0
I wouldn't necessarily call this horror. If you are a scaredy-cat, this one could definitly be for you.
It focuses much more on family drama and the personal growth of the main character than to create scary moments.
The issues where kind of interesting though, I felt like the protagonist had a lot of agency and stayed quite headstrong despite of her draining environment. This is also told in a sort of realistic way, in which Rena Faye doubts her own decisions and perspective from time to time and I like that. Notably though, also because of those inner conflicts, the story moves forward quite slowly and the developement happens only incrementally.
The ending was a bit underwhelming and seemed sort of like the easy way out. I didn't quite expect much of a revolution since the story was rather timid but at least the ghost part could have been resolved in a more climactic way, but then again, the emphasis isn't really on the horror in this one.
It focuses much more on family drama and the personal growth of the main character than to create scary moments.
The issues where kind of interesting though, I felt like the protagonist had a lot of agency and stayed quite headstrong despite of her draining environment. This is also told in a sort of realistic way, in which Rena Faye doubts her own decisions and perspective from time to time and I like that. Notably though, also because of those inner conflicts, the story moves forward quite slowly and the developement happens only incrementally.
The ending was a bit underwhelming and seemed sort of like the easy way out. I didn't quite expect much of a revolution since the story was rather timid but at least the ghost part could have been resolved in a more climactic way, but then again, the emphasis isn't really on the horror in this one.
hollyk's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
theseliterarydelights's review
3.0
Where Echoes Lie is a cozy spooky mystery with compelling twists and atmosphere, but what I enjoyed the most about it was the coming-of-age narrative at its heart. Protagonist Rena Faye is easy to relate to and root for as she tries to juggle her love for photography, a toxic family environment, conflicting romantic feelings, and a haunting to top it all off. I do think if she had not been such a well-written character, I may have lost interest as the mystery of the ghost bride legend isn’t half as spooky as the blurb promised.
There were a couple surprising twists concerning the identity of the ghost bride and what happened to her, which kept the narrative engaging. But while that aspect of the story felt wrapped up by the end, I was disappointed in the lack of closure concerning Rena Faye’s familial issues. Her parents were quite controlling and emotionally abusive toward her and although she did find courage to stand up to them on a couple occasions, in the final chapter Rena Faye just seemed to say “oh well, that’s how it goes.” The combination of this unhealthy message for teens and the underwhelming ghost story ultimately made this a forgettable read for me.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Where Echoes Lie is released 11/2.
There were a couple surprising twists concerning the identity of the ghost bride and what happened to her, which kept the narrative engaging. But while that aspect of the story felt wrapped up by the end, I was disappointed in the lack of closure concerning Rena Faye’s familial issues. Her parents were quite controlling and emotionally abusive toward her and although she did find courage to stand up to them on a couple occasions, in the final chapter Rena Faye just seemed to say “oh well, that’s how it goes.” The combination of this unhealthy message for teens and the underwhelming ghost story ultimately made this a forgettable read for me.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Where Echoes Lie is released 11/2.
fictionaladventures's review
just not interested. she calls her dad “Daddy.” her grandma’s like “oh hey btw it’s our job as women of this family to keep this ghost story safe” and it just doesn’t sound like something I’m gonna get invested in
annette45's review
4.0
This surprised me and wasn't quite what I expected. I was expecting a really scary kind of story and while there is some of that with the urban legend of the ghost bride and the atmosphere of the town and the woods what came across more and made this book great was Rena and her finding herself, figuring things out and all the family drama and such. I related quite a bit more than I expected to this book and to Rena with her story. There were quite a few times while reading this story that I wondered if the author had seen parts of my life while writing this - it was uncanny some of the similarities for me to myself and parts of my life in the past and such. This was one of the first books in a while that I can remember feeling compelled to keep reading, wanting to finish it and know what would happen - it really kept my attention and interest.
This story is about Rena and her family and life. In this book, Rena is excited to have a summer trip that she's going to go on with her Grandma, but at the last minute, it gets canceled by her parents. Then when she is stuck at home helping out with the family business, she goes to talk to her Grandma who tells her there is a curse on their family related to this urban legend of the ghost bride who jumped off the cliff to her death whichever version you've heard of the story. Rena spends the summer trying to figure out the truth behind the story at the root of the ghost bride legend along with navigating her way through finding herself and coming into her own. She has to learn to assert herself and deal with her mother and family and their different views and beliefs on things as well as trying to improve things so she doesn't continue the negative cycle she's in with her mom/parents.
It's all very well written and a low-key spooky story woven into helping to tell about Rena's coming of age experience as she's growing up and figuring herself and other things out. I enjoyed this story and felt it resonated with me on varying levels. This is a great book that I would recommend checking out.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for letting me have the chance to read and review this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
This story is about Rena and her family and life. In this book, Rena is excited to have a summer trip that she's going to go on with her Grandma, but at the last minute, it gets canceled by her parents. Then when she is stuck at home helping out with the family business, she goes to talk to her Grandma who tells her there is a curse on their family related to this urban legend of the ghost bride who jumped off the cliff to her death whichever version you've heard of the story. Rena spends the summer trying to figure out the truth behind the story at the root of the ghost bride legend along with navigating her way through finding herself and coming into her own. She has to learn to assert herself and deal with her mother and family and their different views and beliefs on things as well as trying to improve things so she doesn't continue the negative cycle she's in with her mom/parents.
It's all very well written and a low-key spooky story woven into helping to tell about Rena's coming of age experience as she's growing up and figuring herself and other things out. I enjoyed this story and felt it resonated with me on varying levels. This is a great book that I would recommend checking out.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for letting me have the chance to read and review this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
sarahsbookstack's review
3.0
Rena and her family own a motel in rural Kentucky where a legend of a Ghost Bride has been told for centuries. Her family has been told that the women in their family line are cursed. To rebel and get away, she goes to the neighboring Atwater Hotel to get a job. There she starts to find pieces of the real ghost bride story. Rena has seen the ghost bride so it becomes real and not a story anymore. Rena has to discover what the story is so that the bride can get her final rest .
Rena feels cursed in her own way. She's the "problem child" while her brother Graham is the "golden child". All she wants is a chance to be heard and no one in her family, except her grandma Malice, wants to hear. I felt bad for her. She also had this photography talent that she didn't get enough credit for.
Rena feels cursed in her own way. She's the "problem child" while her brother Graham is the "golden child". All she wants is a chance to be heard and no one in her family, except her grandma Malice, wants to hear. I felt bad for her. She also had this photography talent that she didn't get enough credit for.