Reviews with content warning for Gore - Wake the Bones

Laurel Early is used to the bones of her farm being (somewhat) awake, whispering their stories to her as she remakes what once was into pieces of art, but she is not used to them standing themselves up and walking away. The Devil himself is stirring beneath her soil, putting her family, her friends, and her own life at risk. But how do you defeat the dead? How do you strike at nothing but air and bones?

Elizabeth Kilcoyne’s debut novel is a force to be reckoned with. It is the perfect blend of low fantasy, horror, and contemporary fiction that occupies a genre I haven’t yet seen defined—but I adore. Laurel’s character is fierce and determined and someone you can’t help but root for. Setting the story in rural Kentucky was something I initially thought I wouldn’t like, but Kilcoyne’s immense command of prose creates a setting that is lush and gothic. Her writing perfectly suits the setting, and soon I couldn’t imagine the story taking place anywhere else.

While I loved Laurel and fell in love with her voice from the first page, it was her best friend, Isaac, who stood out as a character I will never forget. One reason I was hesitant to embrace the rural Kentucky setting was that, in my experience, a lot of books set in the South drag a lot of Southern issues with them—namely homophobia. Authors may use their setting to write stories of queer trauma or to simply not have any queer characters at all, but Isaac’s character represented a whole demographic of young, queer kids who grow up in the South. I felt very connected to Isaac in that, while he may face broader homophobia from the wider community, he has a close group of accepting and supportive friends (and a “will they, won’t they” romantic relationship). Despite knowing that he could have a perfectly average life in their small town, he still wonders what it would be like to move to a more generally accepting area, even if that means away from those who love him. He battles feeling like he can’t be his authentic self when he’s home, but is feeling more free worth leaving behind everything he knows and loves? Seeing that arc on the page really stuck with me as someone who did grow up queer in the South and faced the same conflict. It really is such a specific character journey and being able to read it warmed my heart and reminded why representation matters so much, even now as someone who has fully accepted her identity.

The characters of this book are really its strong suit. Their relationships and personal journeys are what makes you care about this quiet little town, so much so that when the monsters attack I was up all night frantically reading to make sure they all made it out safely. This book truly is a roller coaster as they battle evil itself but also navigate very real problems many readers in their late teens will also have to face. Altogether, the compelling characters and beautiful, suspenseful writing makes this a must read for anyone looking for a darkly twisted, low fantasy!

Content Warnings