A review by emmasnothere
All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

3.5

i am a sucker for pitches, especially when pitches include my favorite media consumptions (house of salt and sorrows/the haunting of bly manor). it’s even better when said pitches are right on target, queue the applause track.

this was good fun—it’s not necessarily as gothic horror, but it had the aesthetics and atmosphere of one. while the writing was simplistic and left a bit to desire when it came to clues to the twist(s), it was so reminiscent of classics of its genre or elements of it (estates, oceans, and graveyards? SOLD!) but with a modern twist, which made it a page-turner.

the tension, however, was inconsistent. it took a minute for things to ramp up (about 100+ pages in); when one reveal occurs, it fades into the void and is replaced with lightness, particularly the romance between marin and evie. there’s nothing wrong with that, i love a sapphic relationship (!!!), it just didn’t help that it was instantaneous and smooth sailing despite the ever looming danger. in the same breath, it’s a bit of a head scratching moment that these characters feel older than they are (and would make more sense if they were).

in conclusion, 3.5! the cover is stunning and matches the story perfectly