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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
First of all “cue the music” for that unquestionably gorgeous and aesthetically creepy cover, please. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen so hard for a cover as much as I did for “GHOST WOOD SONG” and I almost immediately went on Goodreads to look for it’s synopsis and I think deep in my heart I knew that it’d be the kind of book I usually go for. AND TO MY ABSOLUTE SURPRISE IT WAS. < BEAUTIFUL CREATURES MEET WILDER GIRLS> UHMM YES PLEASE, shove it to my face any day!
I must unequivocally admit that the fact that I am magnetized by books (ahem. Mayqueen Murders. Ahem. The Disappearnces. Ahem. The Missing Season) with stories taking place in small towns filled with secrets, murder, a multitude of lyrical writing, atmospheric and characters that seem straight out of real life had a lot (and by a lot I mean A LOT. LOT) with me falling head over heels with Ghost Wood Song.
With music that binds the Grove family and secrets that lurk within the woods, Shady Grove finds herself in a tug of war between keeping the love for her dad alive after his demise and choosing between her sanity. Her dad’s fiddle that calls upon ghosts is the only chance her brother has at freedom after being held guilty for the death of her stepdad. But that fiddle is synonymous to darkness and destruction and the vices that comes along with it.
I was absolutely stunned and lost in Waters’ writing. The rhythmic flow of secrets and the pace, the familiarity of the relationships and the characters brought to me a whirlwind of emotions. The fact that my utmost favourite themes i.e a YA murder mystery in a spooky setting with abundance of lyrical and melancholic yet mesmerizing writing, was done to almost utter perfection makes my heart full.
Also, can I just say the romance aspect is just done so beautifully? Like UHM IT FEELS REALISTIC AND I JUST WANNA SAY CAN WE HAVE MORE ROMANCE LIKE THIS PLEASE <3 There might be a minor spoiler alert with this part so I am just gonna say that it’s just overwhelmingly amazing and yes we get CLOSURE <3
The visions Shady experienced: the ghosts and the details of the otherside could’ve been a bit more fleshed out in my opinion, though maybe the descriptions a bit more lucid. And that is the only qualm I have. The magic, the creepiness, the overflowing suspense and the hauntingly beautiful setting made THE GHOST WOOD SONG stand out for me!
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I must unequivocally admit that the fact that I am magnetized by books (ahem. Mayqueen Murders. Ahem. The Disappearnces. Ahem. The Missing Season) with stories taking place in small towns filled with secrets, murder, a multitude of lyrical writing, atmospheric and characters that seem straight out of real life had a lot (and by a lot I mean A LOT. LOT) with me falling head over heels with Ghost Wood Song.
With music that binds the Grove family and secrets that lurk within the woods, Shady Grove finds herself in a tug of war between keeping the love for her dad alive after his demise and choosing between her sanity. Her dad’s fiddle that calls upon ghosts is the only chance her brother has at freedom after being held guilty for the death of her stepdad. But that fiddle is synonymous to darkness and destruction and the vices that comes along with it.
I was absolutely stunned and lost in Waters’ writing. The rhythmic flow of secrets and the pace, the familiarity of the relationships and the characters brought to me a whirlwind of emotions. The fact that my utmost favourite themes i.e a YA murder mystery in a spooky setting with abundance of lyrical and melancholic yet mesmerizing writing, was done to almost utter perfection makes my heart full.
Also, can I just say the romance aspect is just done so beautifully? Like UHM IT FEELS REALISTIC AND I JUST WANNA SAY CAN WE HAVE MORE ROMANCE LIKE THIS PLEASE <3 There might be a minor spoiler alert with this part so I am just gonna say that it’s just overwhelmingly amazing and yes we get CLOSURE <3
The visions Shady experienced: the ghosts and the details of the otherside could’ve been a bit more fleshed out in my opinion, though maybe the descriptions a bit more lucid. And that is the only qualm I have. The magic, the creepiness, the overflowing suspense and the hauntingly beautiful setting made THE GHOST WOOD SONG stand out for me!
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Really enjoyable. Good mix of scary, realism and mystery.
A magical story about grief, shame, generational trauma, and healing. This one ticked so many boxes for me and was told so beautifully.
Is there a book by Erica Waters that I won't love? At this point, it seems like there isn't.
Ghost Wood Song is one of the most beautiful and powerful studies on grief that I have ever laid my eyes upon.
All the alegories are there. The rage, the guilt, the monster, the jealousy, the numbness. All woven together in a wonderful Floridian tale, which is as eerie and dark as it is beautiful and soft.
Shady's pain and loss are palpable. Her journey is one of anger and doubt, of self-discovery and loneliness. In fact, the loneliness of the text is one of the things that did strike me the most, as it is the ultimate truth, that grief is something you navigate through in loneliness.
Another wonderful point was the use of music to channel that amalgamation of feelings created by grief. The metaphor of drowning oneself into something to take your mind off all that pain, which in turn ends up amplifying it and making it all the more unbearable.
But fear not, this book is not only made of pain, it's also made of friendship and loyalty and of learning to let go. It finishes with a reclamation of that music, of the relationships, of everything that grief almost destroyed.
Incredible read, as it knew it would be.
Ghost Wood Song is one of the most beautiful and powerful studies on grief that I have ever laid my eyes upon.
All the alegories are there. The rage, the guilt, the monster, the jealousy, the numbness. All woven together in a wonderful Floridian tale, which is as eerie and dark as it is beautiful and soft.
Shady's pain and loss are palpable. Her journey is one of anger and doubt, of self-discovery and loneliness. In fact, the loneliness of the text is one of the things that did strike me the most, as it is the ultimate truth, that grief is something you navigate through in loneliness.
Another wonderful point was the use of music to channel that amalgamation of feelings created by grief. The metaphor of drowning oneself into something to take your mind off all that pain, which in turn ends up amplifying it and making it all the more unbearable.
But fear not, this book is not only made of pain, it's also made of friendship and loyalty and of learning to let go. It finishes with a reclamation of that music, of the relationships, of everything that grief almost destroyed.
Incredible read, as it knew it would be.
this was fine! i feel like it tried to do too much, and managing to do them all well enough, but not deep enough for my personal tastes. i liked the themes of grief and loss, and the secrets that linger, but it felt like being beaten over the head with What You Should Take Away (pun intended). the writing style wasn't particularly interesting to me either, it was very cut and dry and i normally like a bit of flourish.
i really liked shady and her friends (although the love triangle was... something) and i wish we got more of them together. i wanted to see more of rose, as she felt like a really dynamic character, but it was quite clear she was there as a plot device for another character and to tie up a loose end.
overall, totally fine, easy to read, but not something i'd rave about by any means.
i really liked shady and her friends (although the love triangle was... something) and i wish we got more of them together. i wanted to see more of rose, as she felt like a really dynamic character, but it was quite clear she was there as a plot device for another character and to tie up a loose end.
overall, totally fine, easy to read, but not something i'd rave about by any means.
Beautiful writing and a very nice atmosphere. I liked all the characters and the relationships between them. The mystery is so well done. Full of heavy topics tho, such as sa, domestic abuse, substance abuse etc. 9.5/10
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read the complete non-spoiler review in my blog : https://bookbugworld.com/review-ghost-wood-song/