Reviews - Grave Birds | The StoryGraph

59 reviews for:

Grave Birds

Dana Elmendorf

3.98 AVERAGE

veracardamomo's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I liked the plot, I liked the FMC. I would have liked the boyfriend to be more involved, and I almost didn't like when religion came into play. But it was entertaining.

whimsyandwitt's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Grave Birds is my second Elmendorf, and I'm just as in love with it as I was my first (In the Hour of Crows (also 5⭐️s)!
Grave Birds is a modern southern gothic, mystery with magical realism, romance, and aaall the vibes. I loved the idea of grave birds; chilling and mesmerizing. Elmendorf writes her MC's smart, relatable, and loveable. Her writing is beautiful, connecting you to nature, life, death, and the beyond. She really knows how to pull you in emotionally. I was all up in my feels over what Hollis was experiencing.

If you enjoy Adrienne Young's adult novels, then I think Dana Elmendorf might be a new favorite for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for the eARC!

aeknow's review against another edition

4.0

slow-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

ellevreads's review against another edition

5.0

This was a mix between horror and mystery, with a beautiful southern gothic setting in South Carolina.

Hollis has the ability to see grave birds (little birds who hold messages from the dead). When she touches one, she gets to see a glimpse into the persons biggest regrets or last moments in life.
She has been hired by the town’s wealthiest family as an event planner to an elaborate gala. As she’s working on this gala she starts to uncover dark secrets through the grave birds.

Super compelling story, I had some predictions and they were all wrong (which I love lol).
So much mystery and intrigue with a super cool southern setting.

Thank you Edelweiss for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion. This was an amazing spooky summer read.

chaiteaandbooks's review

5.0

Oh. My. Gosh. This book. I wasn’t prepared when I started it and I never truly was prepared for what was coming next. Do you know how rare it is that I listen to an entire audiobook in one day? I literally balanced my checkbook so I can listen more uninterrupted 😅😅 A gothic fiction, mixed with thriller and a touch of horror and magical realism and I was hooked. I loved having my sense of justice fulfilled in the end, but I can tell you, I was blown away by the big reveal. I knew something was up but never added the pieces of the puzzle together correctly. This was an amazing listen, I would definitely recommend!

Hollis died for a bit when she was younger. The truck she was in with her grandfather got into a crash and ended up going off a bridge into the river. She was revived but he grandfather was not. Ever since then, she has seen them. The grave birds. Her Uncle Royce knew about them too, as he was hit by a car when he was younger and showed her how to help them. Sometimes they just needed to tell their story, the deceased’s biggest regret, or sometimes they needed her to fix a wrong before they can truly rest. Only now some of these are showing her murders in her small town that she had never heard of. Someone has been getting away with something terrible for a long time, and she is going to have to figure out what it is for these poor souls to rest.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy, all thoughts are my own.