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A review by jojopenguinreads
Direwood by Catherine Yu
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This book was a bit of an underwhelming disappointment.
I was sold on a 1990s Gothic vampire horror story, and I went into this story anticipating it to ooze with '90s vibes and camp?? And it really didn't?????
Also the pacing wasn't all that great - the middle of this book DRAGGED, while the first and last 15% was so, so good! But otherwise this book was just... a little boring? Idk, I just expected more, the premise was so promising and exciting, and the cover is to DIE for! I was so excited to read this but ultimately I just feel a little let-down. Amazing concept with lackluster execution.
And there are bits of the plot that I'm still wondering about? Like... where EXACTLY are the vampires from? Where is the blood rain coming from, how does it happen, and how is it connected to the vampires? How are the blood-thirsty caterpillars and vampires related to the vampires, and where do they come from originally, what's their history, what's the purpose? Why haven't people from the town stumbled across the vampires' den, or searched in that forest for the missing teens??? Just...??? What, why, who, how??? Things feel left unanswered in the end.
But despite all this, the writing for this book is so gorgeous! Catherine Yu does such a great job at creating very visceral and clear, and iconic, imagery, and the way she writes moments of body horror is so creepy and unsettling! Just AUGH!! The writing was so good, so tasty - this book's saving grace. I just wish the plot and characters were this good fr fr.
Also I listened to the audiobook, and if it weren't for Cindy Kay's narration I more than likely would've DNF'd.
I was sold on a 1990s Gothic vampire horror story, and I went into this story anticipating it to ooze with '90s vibes and camp?? And it really didn't?????
Also the pacing wasn't all that great - the middle of this book DRAGGED, while the first and last 15% was so, so good! But otherwise this book was just... a little boring? Idk, I just expected more, the premise was so promising and exciting, and the cover is to DIE for! I was so excited to read this but ultimately I just feel a little let-down. Amazing concept with lackluster execution.
And there are bits of the plot that I'm still wondering about? Like... where EXACTLY are the vampires from? Where is the blood rain coming from, how does it happen, and how is it connected to the vampires? How are the blood-thirsty caterpillars and vampires related to the vampires, and where do they come from originally, what's their history, what's the purpose? Why haven't people from the town stumbled across the vampires' den, or searched in that forest for the missing teens??? Just...??? What, why, who, how??? Things feel left unanswered in the end.
But despite all this, the writing for this book is so gorgeous! Catherine Yu does such a great job at creating very visceral and clear, and iconic, imagery, and the way she writes moments of body horror is so creepy and unsettling! Just AUGH!! The writing was so good, so tasty - this book's saving grace. I just wish the plot and characters were this good fr fr.
Also I listened to the audiobook, and if it weren't for Cindy Kay's narration I more than likely would've DNF'd.