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A review by utopiastateofmind
Direwood by Catherine Yu
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Let me just begin this review with what I liked. I enjoyed the atmosphere immensely. There's this almost sinister shadowy feeling to the scenes. And half the time I wasn't sure what Aja would stumble upon. While it definitely feels horror-lite, in a market where I am searching for horror and thrills, I do think that Direwood has the tendrils of smoke. Additionally I enjoyed the ways Yu plays around with vampires. With their manipulation and cynicism. There have been so many varied approaches to vampires recently. Whether they are purely blood soaked feasts or seemingly 're-discover' their humanity.
And while I'm not sure if these 'questions' are ever resolved - that may not be the purpose - I appreciated Yu's depiction of the vampires. But while I was drawn to Aja's relationship to her sister, I found that the middle dragged a bit. It was a loyalty and love I understood in principle, but failed to feel it in the pit of my stomach. I'm not sure if it's because Aja has a complicated relationship with her sister - I'm the queen of complex siblings - but in general I was a bit confused about the motivations of the (main) characters.
Let me just begin this review with what I liked. I enjoyed the atmosphere immensely. There's this almost sinister shadowy feeling to the scenes. And half the time I wasn't sure what Aja would stumble upon. While it definitely feels horror-lite, in a market where I am searching for horror and thrills, I do think that Direwood has the tendrils of smoke. Additionally I enjoyed the ways Yu plays around with vampires. With their manipulation and cynicism. There have been so many varied approaches to vampires recently. Whether they are purely blood soaked feasts or seemingly 're-discover' their humanity.
And while I'm not sure if these 'questions' are ever resolved - that may not be the purpose - I appreciated Yu's depiction of the vampires. But while I was drawn to Aja's relationship to her sister, I found that the middle dragged a bit. It was a loyalty and love I understood in principle, but failed to feel it in the pit of my stomach. I'm not sure if it's because Aja has a complicated relationship with her sister - I'm the queen of complex siblings - but in general I was a bit confused about the motivations of the (main) characters.