Reviews - Ghost Wood Song | The StoryGraph

506 reviews for:

Ghost Wood Song

Erica Waters

3.74 AVERAGE

whatiqreads's review against another edition

4.0

emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

ashleyjapan's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this. Southern gothic, spooky but not terrifying, deals with mental health, poverty and associated stigma and injustices,

Spoiler

the metaphor of trauma as ghosts

(not sure if that’s a spoiler so I’ll put this under the spoiler tag), and a lovely YA romance plot line that sees our bisexual heroine, Shady, enter and exit romantic situations without ever once having to do her coming out story. An A+ debut novel from Erica Waters! I think this is the kind of book that a lot of kids may have needed when we were young. I’m glad the current generation has it now.

cherrysoda9_9's review against another edition

3.0

This was a surprisingly interesting read. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into it, and wasn't super invested for the first 1/4 or so of the story, but it really picked up after that. There was a nice mixture of realism and the unexplained. I think I could have used a bit more insight into the fiddle itself and how that magic works, but there were enough details that I didn't feel like I was missing too much. I thought it wrapped up really nicely as well. Love the ghost elements, and the atmosphere was great. Even the romance didn't bug me, as a lot of YA romances do. I thought it was sweet, but not overpowering. 3.5/5 stars.

thelegendofshelbi's review against another edition

2.0

adventurous mysterious slow-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

zuth6462's review against another edition

4.0

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

cxa555's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book. It's been really hard to settle in and focus on a book in 2020, but Ghost Wood Song managed to grab me with its rich descriptions, gripping mystery, and realistic complexity of a teenager's life. The characters have layers you don't expect. The queer love triangle has all the angst of teenage love, without the trauma I usually brace myself for in most examples of queer love in mainstream media. The bluegrass woven throughout the book inspired me to look up some songs I'd never heard of- I wish there was a playlist for this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a creepy story about ghosts and family secrets.