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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Started out a bit slow but grew on me towards the end! I also enjoyed the romance, there were some love triangle vibes but in a realistic way.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
This is what evil is - not some unnatural force, not demons or devils. It's this right here - a man clinging so hard to hate it's worth dying for.
Family trauma manifests as real ghosts and additional trauma. Solid cast of characters and strong POV from our girl Shady.
4/5 for the weird love triangle, but 5/5 for everything else. I do wish the audiobook had some soundscaping but oh well.
4/5 for the weird love triangle, but 5/5 for everything else. I do wish the audiobook had some soundscaping but oh well.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
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:
No
This was an amazing book that had me absolutely enamored once I got past the first quarter of the book, which felt pretty slow.
This book follows the story of Shady Grove, a young girl plagued by family secrets. When the secrets threaten her brother, she races to find her dad's fiddle. Why? Because it can raise ghosts, and she needs to know what happened. She doesn't realize she's getting more than she bargained for by picking up that fiddle....
I loved the character development throughout this book, and I even really enjoyed the addition of love interests. I found most of the characters incredibly endearing, and I'd definitely recommend this book. I could definitely foresee some of the ending coming... but definitely not all!
This book follows the story of Shady Grove, a young girl plagued by family secrets. When the secrets threaten her brother, she races to find her dad's fiddle. Why? Because it can raise ghosts, and she needs to know what happened. She doesn't realize she's getting more than she bargained for by picking up that fiddle....
I loved the character development throughout this book, and I even really enjoyed the addition of love interests. I found most of the characters incredibly endearing, and I'd definitely recommend this book. I could definitely foresee some of the ending coming... but definitely not all!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder
I feel like people aren't talking about this book nearly as much as they should be.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I felt a little let down by this one. Maybe that’s partially on me for building it up in my head for months before I read it, but it’s not entirely because of that.
This book had a really cool idea, and I was quite excited to read it and see how it played out, but it wasn’t what I had expected. There are a few overlapping subplots that feel less like an addition to the plot and more like a distraction from it.
The relationships also felt… I don’t want to say forced, but it didn’t feel natural or casual.
I think it had a unique and interesting plot/theme/idea, but the execution felt lacking in places, like some parts had been written as a draft and left underdeveloped. Scenes that should have delivered a hard emotional hit felt hollow.
I still enjoyed the book and am glad I took the time to read it, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be.
This book had a really cool idea, and I was quite excited to read it and see how it played out, but it wasn’t what I had expected. There are a few overlapping subplots that feel less like an addition to the plot and more like a distraction from it.
The relationships also felt… I don’t want to say forced, but it didn’t feel natural or casual.
I think it had a unique and interesting plot/theme/idea, but the execution felt lacking in places, like some parts had been written as a draft and left underdeveloped. Scenes that should have delivered a hard emotional hit felt hollow.
I still enjoyed the book and am glad I took the time to read it, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be.
Oh yesssssss. Firstly, my music loving soul absolutely loved the way music is woven throughout the story and is essential to the plot. Secondly, this book is a perfect October read - spooky, slightly creepy, a little cosy and just wonderfully autumnal vibes.
The way the music, the mystery, the fiddle, the ghosts, the friendships and the family all weave together is so seamless. It all felt perfectly balanced.
The book revolves around a murder mystery, and Shady’s brother is accused. But even before that, she is wondering about the mystery of her dads fiddle, and raising ghosts. Given that there’s a murder, these naturally fold right into each other and we’re left trying to protect Shady from the ghosts!
Shady is also bi and trying to sort out her love for her best friend while all this is going on, and while Sarah is giving some mixed messages. I loved how we got to see Shady interact with Sarah, and later Cedar, and it was always quietly balanced against everything else. There’s some honestly lovely moments with both and while I loved how it ended up playing out, I loved more that it felt honest and was a really adult response to a tough situation.
The ghost raising is creepy AF, and I sort of loved it. Which is impressive as I am a right wuss! I also loved how the mystery of the fiddle and the ghosts we see end up mixing with the modern day occurrences.
This very much feels like it could have really happened, despite me not believing in ghosts! Utterly wonderful. 4.5 stars.
The way the music, the mystery, the fiddle, the ghosts, the friendships and the family all weave together is so seamless. It all felt perfectly balanced.
The book revolves around a murder mystery, and Shady’s brother is accused. But even before that, she is wondering about the mystery of her dads fiddle, and raising ghosts. Given that there’s a murder, these naturally fold right into each other and we’re left trying to protect Shady from the ghosts!
Shady is also bi and trying to sort out her love for her best friend while all this is going on, and while Sarah is giving some mixed messages. I loved how we got to see Shady interact with Sarah, and later Cedar, and it was always quietly balanced against everything else. There’s some honestly lovely moments with both and while I loved how it ended up playing out, I loved more that it felt honest and was a really adult response to a tough situation.
The ghost raising is creepy AF, and I sort of loved it. Which is impressive as I am a right wuss! I also loved how the mystery of the fiddle and the ghosts we see end up mixing with the modern day occurrences.
This very much feels like it could have really happened, despite me not believing in ghosts! Utterly wonderful. 4.5 stars.