Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I ended up really enjoying this, but I was close to dnf-ing this one. It was quite slow in the middle and I was not enjoying the bisexual love triangle. However, overall I loved the queer protagonist, supernatural elements, and the bluegrass music.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loooove a good Southern Gothic Horror! Finished it 15 minutes into my book club, but my teens have yet to show up so I’d say it’s a win lol. Might be a solitary club today though. Oh well! 🤷🏼♀️ READ BETWEEN THE SPINES SEP 2024
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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:
Yes
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
Fairly good YA fantasy that suffered from the fact that, in trying to predict the answers to the secrets, I ended up coming up with a much better ending and was disappointed when the actual ending didn't measure up. That said, my ending was a good bit darker and might not've been appropriate to YA.
Great book! Enjoyed it from start to finish. As I didn't realize it was young adult when I picked it up so I did find myself a tad bored during the day to day happenings of highschool and bits of teen romance but it was all very well done and a great ghost story!
I honestly didn't love this book until about 50-60% of the way through. That's a long wait to be absorbed, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Two things that Ghost Wood Song absolutely nails: The deep southern setting, and the ghostly cursed fiddle. Waters does great justice to both of those things, in the end, and although the main character leans hard into the introspective drama throughout the book, this is a solid ghost story.
If haunted southern families, tragic ghost stories and a cursed fiddle at the center of it all appeal to you, those aspects won't disappoint. The core mystery isn't very engaging, so the burn is slow in the Ghost Wood.
If haunted southern families, tragic ghost stories and a cursed fiddle at the center of it all appeal to you, those aspects won't disappoint. The core mystery isn't very engaging, so the burn is slow in the Ghost Wood.
This book wasn't what I expected, but I'm so glad it wasn't. I went into it thinking it would lean more into fantasy world with a focus on a magic fiddle, but it was more magical realism that showed the power of grief and love in all its forms. The elements of grief, family secrets/trauma, ghosts, and bluegrass music in this Southern Gothic slash murder mystery worked so well. It was sad, but in a really good way.
Eerie and beautiful.
Shady loves to play fiddle, music, and her family. She misses her dead father terribly, in fact she misses most of her life from when her father was alive. When a murder happens and investigation settles on Shady’s brother, she becomes determined to use the legendary family fiddle to call up the ghost of the victim, she just has to find the fiddle first.
This book really focuses on Shady’s love and devotion to her family and music. She is a strong character with convictions and inner strength.
I did find the “romance” with Sarah troubling because Shady gave so much but Sarah refused to give anything. It was nice to see the relationship with Cedar, who seemed to really understand Shady and supported her in a way that she seemed to have never experienced before, but it could have used a little more development and detail to make it more appealing.
Shady loves to play fiddle, music, and her family. She misses her dead father terribly, in fact she misses most of her life from when her father was alive. When a murder happens and investigation settles on Shady’s brother, she becomes determined to use the legendary family fiddle to call up the ghost of the victim, she just has to find the fiddle first.
This book really focuses on Shady’s love and devotion to her family and music. She is a strong character with convictions and inner strength.
I did find the “romance” with Sarah troubling because Shady gave so much but Sarah refused to give anything. It was nice to see the relationship with Cedar, who seemed to really understand Shady and supported her in a way that she seemed to have never experienced before, but it could have used a little more development and detail to make it more appealing.