A review by rubybereading
The Bayou by Arden Powell

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Dark. Eerie. Sad. Heartbreaking. Haunting. Spine-tingling. 

Enticing. Creepy. Addictive. Horrifying. Sexy. Sensual. Disturbing (!!!) AF and, at times, hard to get through but it was almost perfectly written. Even the slow parts were intriguing because the mood and atmosphere had already been set so well. It already had me in its grips wondering what's to come, and then OMG!! It was eerily "beautiful" (??), but so harsh and ugly. Darkly poetic without trying too hard. The first horror book that really kind of horrified me for real! Gothic to its core! I wasn't readv!! Wtf?? I'm kind of at a loss for words. This one, for sure, will sit with me for a while! And it's definitely not for the faint of heart! Smh!! 

TW: Suicide, gun violence/fatalities, internalized homophobia, child sexual assault, body horror (mild depiction), fatal strangulation, desecration of the Bible and Church/pulpit-ALL on page depictions.