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A review by thebeccafowell
Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters
4.0
I expected this to be atmospheric and creepy and the perfect book to read during spooky season and it was all that and more. The characters in this were so well written that even some of the ones that turned out to be completely innocent came across as suspicious in parts. Even though I had a fairly good idea who was actually guilty of the murder Shady’s brother was arrested for, I still had second thoughts when another character said or did something. I loved the main character, Shady, shes instantly certain her brother isn’t guilty of the murder and even though as she digs deeper she begins to have some doubt, she’s determined to find out the truth, even if it does uncover things she doesn’t want to know about her brother.
I absolutely loved the whole concept of this fiddle being able to ‘summon’ ghosts when played. I don’t often see music as a main part of a storyline and I loved how it was incorporated into the main character’s life, even when she’s not playing her father’s fiddle to speak to the ghosts. The explanation of how the fiddle came to be in the family was haunting (yes I made a ghost joke) and the Shadow Man that is trying to get to Shady was creepy but not just that, it was just the right level of creepy for someone who’s not a huge fan of horror.
The themes in this book included; bi rep, death, grieving, family. What I loved most about the bi rep was that it was relatable; a lot of books with bi characters the love interest is almost always the same gender as the main character, but in this book there were two love interests, one the same gender and one different and I appreciated that because it helps to break the ridiculous idea that some people have that being bi is ‘just a gateway to being gay/lesbian’ (and I roll my eyes every time I hear someone say that). One thing that annoyed me, and it’s not with the book itself because it’s something that does happen quite a lot, is when they’re at the funeral and Shady’s mum makes her go and look at the body in the casket. I understand that for some people it’s closure, but I have never got why you would force someone else, especially a child, to go and look at that if they don’t want to.
I definitely recommend this book, especially if you like creepy books, but not actual horror, this is a brilliant in between and it’s definitely one I’ll reread.
I absolutely loved the whole concept of this fiddle being able to ‘summon’ ghosts when played. I don’t often see music as a main part of a storyline and I loved how it was incorporated into the main character’s life, even when she’s not playing her father’s fiddle to speak to the ghosts. The explanation of how the fiddle came to be in the family was haunting (yes I made a ghost joke) and the Shadow Man that is trying to get to Shady was creepy but not just that, it was just the right level of creepy for someone who’s not a huge fan of horror.
The themes in this book included; bi rep, death, grieving, family. What I loved most about the bi rep was that it was relatable; a lot of books with bi characters the love interest is almost always the same gender as the main character, but in this book there were two love interests, one the same gender and one different and I appreciated that because it helps to break the ridiculous idea that some people have that being bi is ‘just a gateway to being gay/lesbian’ (and I roll my eyes every time I hear someone say that). One thing that annoyed me, and it’s not with the book itself because it’s something that does happen quite a lot, is when they’re at the funeral and Shady’s mum makes her go and look at the body in the casket. I understand that for some people it’s closure, but I have never got why you would force someone else, especially a child, to go and look at that if they don’t want to.
I definitely recommend this book, especially if you like creepy books, but not actual horror, this is a brilliant in between and it’s definitely one I’ll reread.