Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really creepy and spooky at parts
Sweet southern ghost story about the power of music.
The resolution of the love triangle did feel a little bit CompHet and not necessarily earned, partially contributed to the relationships not really getting enough time for realistic feeling development. Waters other novel, "The River Has Teeth", balanced the romantic and familial relationships better.
Simple and sufficient prose, easy reading. Nice summer porch read.
The resolution of the love triangle did feel a little bit CompHet and not necessarily earned, partially contributed to the relationships not really getting enough time for realistic feeling development. Waters other novel, "The River Has Teeth", balanced the romantic and familial relationships better.
Simple and sufficient prose, easy reading. Nice summer porch read.
I really liked this book. I knew who the killer was very early on but that didn't ruin it for me. The development of the main character and the message behind it all was fantastic. The authors writing style was mesmerizing and kept me from putting the book down. Her writing was just beautiful and created vivid images for me. I felt fully immersed in this ghostly southern scene. It was creepy but heartwarming in the best way. I haven't read anything like this before.
The whole time I wished I had a soundtrack for all of the music being played.
A lot of the characters seemed one dimensional, not hugely involved. They were just referenced when needed for the plot. Again, this didn't ruin the book for me. It was just a thought that I kept having throughout.
Highly reccomend!!
The whole time I wished I had a soundtrack for all of the music being played.
A lot of the characters seemed one dimensional, not hugely involved. They were just referenced when needed for the plot. Again, this didn't ruin the book for me. It was just a thought that I kept having throughout.
Highly reccomend!!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
I just was not enjoying the writing style even 44 minutes into the audiobook.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was one of those that I enjoy while reading and then never think about it again. Mostly I just enjoyed the murder mystery aspect and the setting. The vibe of this book was by far my favorite part! I loved the bayou/backwoods southern gothic atmosphere of this book. The fiddle that brought ghosts back was awesome, too! I wish there had been a lot more of that, because those parts are where this book really shines. Sadly, the cool stuff took a backseat to the romance. Which was absolutely terrible.
I despised the romance. Which is incredibly unfortunate, because it took over the plot entirely. It ruined the book for me, to be honest. I knew this book was LGBT, but I didn't know it had a love triangle. Which is a trope that almost never works for me (and one that I really hate, it's my least favorite trope in existence), and it especially didn't work in this one because it was awful. Shady kept bouncing back and forth between Sarah and Cedar and it seriously pissed me off. One minute she was all "Sarah is perfect for me, I need to be with her!" and the next minute she was saying the same fucking thing about Cedar. In fact, she bounced right back to Cedar within a chapter of saying Sarah was the only one she wanted and that they were meant for each other *eye roll*
There was also no internal conflict or debate to result in the decision of who she ultimately chose in the end.
Spoiler
I felt like it was going to be Sarah because of all her "she's the only one I want" talk, but then she chose Cedar seemingly at random with no debate over the decision whatsoever.Because of the focus on the romance, the middle of the book dragged and I got bored. (It did pick up in the last third, thankfully.) I also didn't care one tiny bit about the characters. They lacked any depth or emotion, which kept me from connecting to the story.
If I had been physically reading this book, I probably would have DNFed it. The narrator was fantastic and she saved it for me.
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This didn't end up being quite what I was expecting, but it was surprising in the best way. It's overwhelmingly a story about grief, family, trauma, and sacrifice, with elements of mystery and magic, and it really captivated me. It's beautifully-written with a wonderfully strong atmosphere, and I adored the sibling and family relationships. I liked the romance too, and I appreciated the backstory around the protagonist's previous 'almost' relationship and the depth that this adds to the developing romantic plot. I also really loved the threat that music weaves throughout the story and the way it ultimately reflects the redemption occurring. There's a lot going on in this book, but it doesn't feel like too much (although it's definitely heavy just because of the subject matter, so do be warned), and I'm really glad that I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Blood