By Brenna Yovanoff
Genre YA Supernatural/Paranormal
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
When bad things happen in the town of Gentry you look the other way. Things are as they are and it's best not to ask questions. When you are one of the "bad things" you lay low and and don't make anyone suspicious. In this beautifully written novel we get a insiders look at the things that go bump in the night.
First Sentence
I don't remember any of the true, important parts, but there's this dream I have.
I've been meaning to read this book forever! People raved about it when it came out and have since given great praise to Yovanoff's writing. And, yeah, the woman can write! I loved the beautiful, melancholic prose. The story and the legends it came from were fun in a creepy way. Then there was the characters. While A lot of this story may be forgotten by me, I doubt I'll forget the characters. They are still standing out vividly in my mind. There was something real and painful in their action that just got to me.
As I mentioned before, I'm not sure the actual story of this one will stick in my mind. While the legends it was derived from have been playing around in my mind since reading it, the story line...not so much. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, I never consider it a good thing. I like when a story is memorable.
Still, I'll definitely be reading more by Yovanoff. If only so I can say her name again! Say it. It's fun, huh?
Should you read it
The writing and characters make this book. And as far as debuts go, it's great.
I haven't read this one yet, but I read her other one, Paper Valentine, which I remember really liking, but I honestly couldn't tell you anything about it now. (Sadly that's how things go with a lot of books these days.)
ReplyDeleteYeah the more we read the less we remember.
DeleteA book with beautiful prose and memorable characters sounds pretty good to me. (I read Yovanoff's Paper Valentine, too, and remember liking it, but like Kimberly, I couldn't tell you much now beyond the basic plot. I guess that storyline wasn't exactly memorable either.) But I would read this author again. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'd read the author again for sure.
DeleteEven though the story isn't very memorable, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I own the book, but I just haven't read it yet. I need to get to it.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good one. I'm glad to have finally read it.
DeleteI have also been meaning to read this book forever! I remember when it was first released, the cover really caught my eye, but I never got to actually read it. Glad you ended up enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a lot of books on my tbr shelf have been there far too long.
DeleteI have read this one, but I didn't really like it all that much. I've forgotten it by now. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though. I still would like to read something else by Yovanoff. I like that she only writes stand-alones. It's great when an author doesn't think every story needs more than one arc.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! I loved that it was a stand alone!
DeleteI am pretty sure I have this book. I really should dig it out and finally read it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's one of those books.
DeleteI haven't read Yovanoff - and yes, you have me repeating her name! LOL. I have a tendency to forget what happens in books. It's sad. :(
ReplyDeleteMe too. I think we just read too much.
DeleteI'm so glad you liked this book! I've heard good things about it and the cover is so perfect. I've been meaning to read it for a while now (I'm so annoyed with myself that I didn't get to it around Halloween) so hopefully I'll get to it soon! I can definitely appreciate excellent writing! Great review, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteLaura @BlueEyeBooks
Ha ha! I totally meant to read it for Halloween but only got around to it in December. Sigh!
DeleteThis book has been on my shelf for a loooonnngggg time. I've been meaning to read it for forever and, yeah, I'm still not going to rush. Someday ...
ReplyDeleteI know! It's one that's been sitting on my shelf for 6 years! Glad I finally got to it.
DeleteI read this around the time that it came out and I had a similar reaction. I don’t remember a ton of the plot, but I do remember finding the writing and the folklore compelling. I might have to check out some of her other work in the future. Yovanoff is a fun name to say. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a fun name?! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the plot was Unmemorable.
DeleteThe only think I've read from Brenna Yovanoff is her short story in The Anatomy of Curiosity, but I did enjoy it! It looks like this might be worth checking out too, especially because character-driven stories are great!
ReplyDeleteThey are. I'd give one of her books a try if you liked her short story.
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