A review by lovelymisanthrope
The Devouring Gray by C.L. Herman

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I have had this book on my radar since its release in 2019. I kept putting it off because I had heard very okay reviews about it, but I finally decided October was the perfect time to give it a chance. 
"The Devouring Gray" follows a young girl, Violet Saunders. She has been uprooted from her wonderful life and transplanted to a new town called Four Paths. She has little expectations that she will fit in with her new classmates, but her presence is made more difficult because she is a descendant from one of the town's founders. When she meets the other children that have descended from town founders, she wonders whether the town is right to be wary of them. But when things start to go awry in the woods, the children have to ban together to get to the bottom of these nefarious acts. 
I though this story was very okay overall. I think the book is highly atmospheric, and you want to root for the characters and see them succeed, but the story felt dry to me. I was not invested in the plot, and I was struggling to truly care what was happening. I did start to enjoy it more towards the end when there was more happening and big reveals, but overall, it was a story I forgot about as soon as I finished. I am giving it three stars though because I LOVED the setting. 
I think this book is well-written and the story has potential, but it was just not for me. 

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