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A review by laurav
The Grove by Elizabeth Guizzetti
5.0
*ARC received by author in exchange for honest review*
In case it's not obvious by now I love Elizabeth Guizzetti's writing. And I jumped at the chance to read her latest book because OF COURSE I want to read her latest book. This is certainly a departure from her other two books, given that those were strictly science-fiction and The Grove is most definitely a fantasy/horror novel.
So, what did I think? I pretty much loved it. Guizzetti's writing is as strong as ever and the idea behind the book is an interesting one (as usual). What I liked best was the whole idea of real magic in modern times (sorcerers leave "magic knots" on their shop doors to prevent theft in addition to setting their alarms, for example) (also she includes references to real Wiccan/Pagan practices) and I just thought that was great because usually there's always the alternate world where the magic is hidden (not that those are bad, mind you, I just like the whole idea of magic being a thing in the "real" world). The characters were good, although I actually found myself rather frustrated with a lot of them in the beginning (and I am big enough to admit that I never really warmed up to Oliver), but I have to say I loved Dayla from the beginning and Jonah is probably one of the best written villains ever. I liked Dayla a lot, and she was a pretty strong character and I liked her progress a lot throughout the book.
The plot itself was really good, and I loved the little mysteries that cropped up, and there were lots of twists that kept me on my toes. I found it a teensy bit draggy in the middle, but not enough to detract from my enjoyment. The last third of the book was intense and I just could not stop reading! I kept turning pages (or, you know, swiping my Kindle screen?) because I had to find out what happened next--I couldn't put it down! The ending blew me away--I was so not expecting it to go where it did and I think that was such a fabulous twist! I love endings that take me by surprise and this is definitely one of those.
Overall, The Grove pulls you in and definitely doesn't want to let you go. I hope Guizzetti writes more books in this genre because like she is with science fiction, she is very good at bringing fantasy and horror to life. Highly recommended.
In case it's not obvious by now I love Elizabeth Guizzetti's writing. And I jumped at the chance to read her latest book because OF COURSE I want to read her latest book. This is certainly a departure from her other two books, given that those were strictly science-fiction and The Grove is most definitely a fantasy/horror novel.
So, what did I think? I pretty much loved it. Guizzetti's writing is as strong as ever and the idea behind the book is an interesting one (as usual). What I liked best was the whole idea of real magic in modern times (sorcerers leave "magic knots" on their shop doors to prevent theft in addition to setting their alarms, for example) (also she includes references to real Wiccan/Pagan practices) and I just thought that was great because usually there's always the alternate world where the magic is hidden (not that those are bad, mind you, I just like the whole idea of magic being a thing in the "real" world). The characters were good, although I actually found myself rather frustrated with a lot of them in the beginning (and I am big enough to admit that I never really warmed up to Oliver), but I have to say I loved Dayla from the beginning and Jonah is probably one of the best written villains ever. I liked Dayla a lot, and she was a pretty strong character and I liked her progress a lot throughout the book.
The plot itself was really good, and I loved the little mysteries that cropped up, and there were lots of twists that kept me on my toes. I found it a teensy bit draggy in the middle, but not enough to detract from my enjoyment. The last third of the book was intense and I just could not stop reading! I kept turning pages (or, you know, swiping my Kindle screen?) because I had to find out what happened next--I couldn't put it down! The ending blew me away--I was so not expecting it to go where it did and I think that was such a fabulous twist! I love endings that take me by surprise and this is definitely one of those.
Overall, The Grove pulls you in and definitely doesn't want to let you go. I hope Guizzetti writes more books in this genre because like she is with science fiction, she is very good at bringing fantasy and horror to life. Highly recommended.