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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
The way this book affected me while reading it is not cool, not cool at all.
Originally gave this 3* but to me, 3 stars is utterly average, a bit meh. This was a bit below average unfortunately. This book has a great sense of atmosphere but that's about it. The protagonist is pretty irritating and the side characters are flat. The "romance" comes out of nowhere and didn't really fit and the whole thing just didn't work for me. It was a quick and easy read, though.
I enjoyed this book, the bond between Jesse and Shady is powerful, also with her daddy. The fiddle links them all and it's well worth a read, the storyline gripped me from the start and I would recommend this book
A haunting and melancholy dissection of grief, set in the pine woods of Florida. Shady Grove must master her emotions and her family history in order to protect the ones she loves. Absolutely beautiful. Left me listening to bluegrass music and with an ache in my heart.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was spooky and a fun read, perfect for Fall. I loved that we had a bisexual main character, lots of family drama and history, and some scary ghosts. This wasn’t too frightening for me, even though sometimes I’m a wimp, just the right amount of creepy vibes.
7.29 on CAWPILE
I really liked this, it was haunting in an old-gothic way. I can see why it's compared to the Raven Cycle, even though there really isn't anything the same about the two books. It's the vibes though, the feelings they evoke. I like that this book explored the stages of grief, and how important it is to truly walk through all of the stages instead of getting hung up on one. Although I'm not sure how this will be continued in a series, it feels very complete to me.
I really liked this, it was haunting in an old-gothic way. I can see why it's compared to the Raven Cycle, even though there really isn't anything the same about the two books. It's the vibes though, the feelings they evoke. I like that this book explored the stages of grief, and how important it is to truly walk through all of the stages instead of getting hung up on one. Although I'm not sure how this will be continued in a series, it feels very complete to me.
Everything was perfect except the tortured and unnecessary love triangle.
First of all, this book is stunning. Erica Waters does such an incredible job of building this YA contemporary gothic atmosphere with all the right hints of magical realism. I’m very excited to read her next novel because she’s definitely an author I want to follow.
That said, Ghost Wood Song did fall short in a few places that ultimately kept me from giving this 5 stars. I don’t know what it was, but it seemed like the book started to fall apart toward the end. Once the plot started to come together into a finale, the climax just felt...weird. I don’t really know how to explain it. I think maybe the book could’ve done with being just slightly longer to fix this though.
Also while I loved so many of the characters, there were two supporting ones in particular that felt far less fleshed out than the rest: Rose and Sarah. Honestly, you could remove these two characters from the story and it wouldn’t change much more than a shaky love triangle plot. They just seemed to have very one-sided personalities compared to all the other characters involved. Which is a bummer because I would’ve loved to have seen them developed more. I think they could’ve played more meaningful roles had I cared about them more.
Overall, beautiful book that I might revisit some day.
That said, Ghost Wood Song did fall short in a few places that ultimately kept me from giving this 5 stars. I don’t know what it was, but it seemed like the book started to fall apart toward the end. Once the plot started to come together into a finale, the climax just felt...weird. I don’t really know how to explain it. I think maybe the book could’ve done with being just slightly longer to fix this though.
Also while I loved so many of the characters, there were two supporting ones in particular that felt far less fleshed out than the rest: Rose and Sarah. Honestly, you could remove these two characters from the story and it wouldn’t change much more than a shaky love triangle plot. They just seemed to have very one-sided personalities compared to all the other characters involved. Which is a bummer because I would’ve loved to have seen them developed more. I think they could’ve played more meaningful roles had I cared about them more.
Overall, beautiful book that I might revisit some day.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book touched me. It's main character grieves and processes the death of her father with music and a discovery of community, and helped me to do the same. It's has a beautiful ghostly quality. I highly recommend listening to the songs and artists referenced throughout the book as you read - a very cool 4-D story experience I've never enccountered before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death