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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Grave Birds is a Southern gothic mystery with supernatural elements, chiefly the grave bird creatures, remnants of a departed person's soul containing final images or memories before a person's death, visually represented in the form of ghostly birds. The protagonist, Hollis Southerland, gained the ability to see grave birds after she briefly died in a car accident before being brought back to life. Hollis finds herself on the cusp of achieving her dreams and goals: buying her late uncle's beautiful house to repurpose as a venue for her up-and-coming event planning company. All of that goes sideways when a handsome stranger, Cain Landry, comes to town. As Hollis tries to make her way through the upheaval wrought by Cain Landry, she finds herself unraveling an old, undiscovered mystery featuring one of the prominent families in her small Southern hometown. It's spooky and twisty and engaging. Old secrets, long since buried, come to light as Hollis encounters multiple grave birds and teases out the connections between them.
I generally enjoyed this book! It's spooky and atmospheric, but I wish the connection between the real-world whodunit and the supernatural elements were better balanced and interwoven.
I generally enjoyed this book! It's spooky and atmospheric, but I wish the connection between the real-world whodunit and the supernatural elements were better balanced and interwoven.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I really liked In the Hour of Crows, so I was pretty excited for this book...and was not disappointed. Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf depicts elements of the paranormal with magical realism, focusing on the mystery of old murders that the main character finds herself in the middle of.
The concept of the grave birds--the ability to connect to the deceased via their deepest regrets in the form of an invisible bird that only those who've died and been resuscitated can see--is super creative. And I especially like that both stories by Elmendorf could be set in the same world that's first depicted In the Hour of Crows. The magic is there for both, yet subtle and still culturally relevant.
This is an author who knows how to write peak southern gothic: ghosts, murder, a small town mystery, and lots of crazy family secrets. Grave Birds has that perfect balance of being spooky without being outright horror, and it was wholly unpredictable. I can honestly say that I wasn't sure what the plot was leading up to.
Sign me up for the next Dana Elmendorf book because I'll be there! Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
The concept of the grave birds--the ability to connect to the deceased via their deepest regrets in the form of an invisible bird that only those who've died and been resuscitated can see--is super creative. And I especially like that both stories by Elmendorf could be set in the same world that's first depicted In the Hour of Crows. The magic is there for both, yet subtle and still culturally relevant.
This is an author who knows how to write peak southern gothic: ghosts, murder, a small town mystery, and lots of crazy family secrets. Grave Birds has that perfect balance of being spooky without being outright horror, and it was wholly unpredictable. I can honestly say that I wasn't sure what the plot was leading up to.
Sign me up for the next Dana Elmendorf book because I'll be there! Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Grave Birds is a book that incorporates elements of multiple genres, which makes it feel fresh when reading it. I was intrigued by the original concept surrounding the grave birds, and how the author used the to introduce relevant information the protagonist needed access to to figure out what was going on.
This book is one part mystery. There’s the mystery of what’s happening in the present and there’s the mystery surrounding prior events. Those mysteries go back to the protagonist’s childhood, and involve many people she’s known her entire life, so she has to go through the process of dismantling what she thinks she knows and reassessing people she’s known for decades.
The book is one part supernatural. The paranormal elements add to the intrigue as Hollis tries to figure out what’s going on and what it means.
The book is one part dislike to lovers. Hollis was planning to buy the property where she lives, but before her deadline to secure financing arrives, a wealthy outsider swoops in and purchases the property. The two are at odds initially, but they gradually forge a friendship and there’s definite chemistry between them.
Still, with all the strange events occurring in town ever since the day Cain arrived, and with the growing revelations about people she thought she knew, Hollis doesn’t always open up right away. Plus, it’s clear Cain has a secret, and that makes it hard for Hollis to trust him with everything.
I enjoyed the growth in the relationship as well as the investigative aspects and the supernatural elements. This book had me scrolling through the e-arc I received from the publisher as fast as I could to find out what happened. Definitely an intriguing story filled with Southern culture and charm, and a lot of people who are not what they seem.