Modern gothic horror for teens that explores the brutal dance of dysfunction that can develop between mother and daughter. The heroine, Margot, lives on a knife's edge with her emotionally distant and manipulative mother, Margot is always watching out for the next explosive fight while longing for some other family member to whom she can truly belong. When she stumbles upon an old photograph and calls the number on the back, she finds her Gram, waiting to hear from her. But when Margot runs away to her mom's home town, it quickly becomes evident that maybe her mom kept her secrets to herself for a reason. As a reader, I felt like the plot stalled out a bit once she settled into the town, but the constant tension kept me going. My favorite element was the realistic writing of Margot's thoughts and reactions as an emotionally abused person, which also kept the sense of horror quite tangible. Wilder Girls was a book that got under my skin and with this second novel, I can easily say Rory Power is one of my favorite authors.

Wow. Wowowow. I thought I was ready for this book when I opened it, and it turned out I was not. BURN OUR BODIES DOWN is a beautiful and horrific look at Margot Nielsen’s family secrets, and of digging so deep into them that she finds something she couldn’t have predicted.

For about 75% of this book, Rory Power feeds you little morsels of information, and at times, it feels agonizingly slow, like you have to claw for everything this book will give you. It leaves you exhausted and exhilarated at once, and you can tell that it’s all going to culminate into something huge.

And boy does it.

I devoured this book in a few evenings of reading, and on the last day, I couldn’t put it down even for a second. Once you get past 75%, this book wrenches you forward as Margot spirals down through the holes in her family’s story. You start piecing it together as she does, and once you figure it out, you can’t help but sit there with your jaw dropped (or yelling, because I yelled a lot). So many moments after this point in the book had me shouting in the middle of my living room.

I didn’t want for much from this book that it didn’t already give me. Complex characters, an exploration of what it means to be yourself when you’re dealing with intergenerational trauma, learning to become a person outside of what your parent(s) made you...the story centers heavily on Margot to a point where it feels like most of the world is inside her. And I think that’s significant, because Margot is discovering herself as she discovers her family’s secrets and the world beyond the one her mom built for her. There’s a lot to unpack in BOBD, but you can’t help but try once you’ve read it. It’s an incredible book and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers that center around knowing about and guessing at family secrets but getting WAY more than you bargained for.

Also, corn. I definitely did not bargain for this much corn, but there’s a reason it’s called corn book.

I’m not sure how much I can even say about this book without giving too much away. It’s almost better to go in blind, which is what I did, and it was a great choice for me.

The Characters:
1) Margot. She’s 17 years old and knows almost nothing about her family and its history. She’s curious and is willing to break her mother’s rule to find out where she came from and to find the place where she belongs.
2) Jo, Margot’s mother. Let’s see, she’s cold, distant, secretive, manipulative, territorial about her past, and absolutely infuriating.
3) Vera, Margot’s grandmother. At first, she seems more willing to show Margot some affection, but she’s also a bit stingy with the details, adding to Margot’s disillusionment.

The Plot:
Again, I can’t say much. I guess it’s about Margot’s journey for truth, but it’s also about SO MUCH MORE!! Read it. Just read it, and you’ll see.

My Thoughts:
Questions, questions, questions. I had so many questions throughout the majority of this book, and Rory Power makes you wait to find your answers. Normally, I would be a little frustrated by this, but not this time. Power’s writing style makes up for everything. She kept teasing me with her siren call of words to continue with the story and to keep the pages turning. Her style is crisp and sophisticated without being flowery. It’s pointed and personal. She creates this atmosphere that is so mysterious and ominous, while also being subtle and serene at the same time. That probably doesn’t make any sense, but I don’t even care.

Overall, I kinda loved this book! We learn things and figure out the mysteries right along with Margot. Because of this, we can identify with her. We feel her frustrations, her curiosities, her disappointments, and fears on a visceral level.

I wish there were something I could compare this book to so you’d have a better idea of what you’re getting into, but there isn’t. This one is unique. I can only ask you, maybe even beg you, to try it for yourself. It’s worth it!!

Enjoy.

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power is a YA Feminist Horror novel and follow up to last year's Wilder Girls. I found it very atmospheric, creepy and a more subtle horror novel than Wilder Girls, (which I enjoyed but was left confused about parts) Burn Our Bodies Down was significantly better in that respect. I didn't feel like I didn't really "get it" like I did with Wilder Girls.
Burn Our Bodies Down has creepy Children of the Corn vibes, messy complicated mother/daughter relationships, passed down trauma, horrific family secrets, murder and fires.
It's a solid horror novel without being overly graphic or bloody. Definitely recommend if you Enjoyed Wilder Girls or are looking for something creepy in your YA.

This book crackles with pain and tension, layers of grief and family stitched together. I’ll have a hard time getting this story out of my head. With a fierce pace and searing writing, Power excels at this stripping her characters down and examining their humanity in was that you can’t look away from as a reader. I know readers with difficult relationships with their parents will find themselves - and perhaps a step towards something like healing - in this book.

I finished this one a few nights ago and I'm still processing how I felt about it. I can see why people really love this story and the concept is cool, but it just didn't "wow" me. If you like a lot of introspection and question after question after question with a creepy vibe, you'll really enjoy this one. It just wasn't a great fit for me, just a middle of the road read.

This book got off to a slow start. I wasn't able to get into it until after the first 20% but after it, the story was an intense roller coaster. It was incredibly entertaining. I felt for Margot, both her mother and her grandmother are terrible people. I like that we get to understand why they are the way they are, but it doesn't excuse them from their actions as I feel that a lot of books do. I like that Margot didn't quite forgive her mother for being terrible but at the end they were working towards working together right.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my opinion of the book.

When I read Wilder Girls last year, I was very disappointed with it. I went in with high expectations, which were not met, and ended up giving it a 2 star rating. Powers world building, however, was superb in that book and that alone made me decide that when her next book came out, I would give it another chance. I did like this book more than Wilder Girls. There were still a few issues with it, but I would be much more likely to recommend this.

Burn Our Bodies Down follows Margot, who wants to get know the family that her mother has spent her whole life hiding from her. When she finds a clue to that family, Margot goes to her mother's hometown to reunite with her long-lost grandmother and uncover family secrets.

To begin with, the pacing was MUCH better! Wilder Girls took me over a month to slog through because I was so bored. By comparison, this had faster pacing and a more coherent plot. I didn't feel as lost with where the story was going and how it was going to resolve. That said, I did pretty accurately guess what the "secret" was going to be (minus one very strange aspect). So if you've read a lot of YA books in a similar vein, you may find yourself in the same situation. The twist she puts on the secret was unique, however.

Margot was a much more interesting character to follow this time around. She's focused on the one goal which is made very clear, she's headstrong and stubborn and resourceful. Her relationship with her mother and grandmother is like watching a complex chess match, which I enjoyed. You see Margot thinking out her moves to get to her end goal. I liked seeing the "strategy" part of the book.

There is a large "creep" factor to this book, like there was with Wilder Girls, so if that was what drew you into the last book, you're likely to enjoy this, too. Powers once again demonstrates that she is a talented writer and chooses her descriptions with purpose and care. That is easily my favorite part of her books, that you feel sucked into it and like you can picture every crevice and nook of the worlds she creates.

My main complaint with this is that I know people are going to hail it as amazing LGBT+ rep and it just isn't. Once again, we get a character who kind of winks and nods at the rep and nothing concrete happens. Margot identifies herself as a lesbian, but NOTHING happens with it, even an acknowledged attraction. The "love interest" or friend character, Tess, is played as a "maybe we're attracted to each other....actually, nope. We're not." I complained about Hetty when people called Wilder Girls "sapphic horror", but at least Hetty got a kiss. This is just paying lip service. There is nothing to make this actual representation.

My last issue is that Tess, as a character, is not fleshed out at all and seems more of a plot convenience. She exists when the plot needs her to and disappears when it doesn't. Same with Eli, who is a VERY minor "friend" character. I'm not entirely sure they were needed and the book may have been cleaner for not including at least Eli.

Overall, I liked this book much more than Wilder Girls, but the issues I had with it keeps me from giving it higher than a 3. I enjoyed it. I would probably read it again. It made me more likely to check out Powers next books in hopes she continues to improve. But it's not a new favorite of mine.

Wilder Girls was a surprising read last year even though horror isn’t really my thing, so I was excited for the author’s next book. It was certainly unsettling as the cover depicts and was quite a build-up, just one that I wasn’t particularly into. Burn Our Bodies Down depicted a slow unveiling of a mystery that shouldn’t be solved.

For her entire life, it’s always been Margot and her mom. They have a tension-filled relationship, since her mother refuses to answer any questions of their family and her own past. One day, Margot takes matters into her own hands, tracking down her grandma in a town that everyone seems to have forgotten. But when she gets to Phalene, nothing is as it seems…

Again, horror isn’t really my genre, but I appreciated the slow burn of this book. Secrets are slowly uncovered at a pace that is just right; this book is also fairly short, but nothing felt rushed.

The side characters were intriguing; Margot’s mom and her grandma clearly have many sides to them. (I did find the gaslighting incredibly unsettling though, but that’s the point.) Meanwhile, Tess welcomes Margot into Phalene with open arms. She and Eli add some heart to the bareness of this town.

I also enjoyed the writing. Power’s prose is short and succinct, while also evoking sympathy and emotion. All Margot wants is history, and the ache she feels for family is haunting. This leads to the revealing of so much generational pain, one that only seeks to repeat itself.

Honestly, though, I just felt like nothing really happened in the first two-thirds of the book, which was a bit disappointing. I also thought the climax didn’t really feel like much of a pay-off. When I finished the book, I just felt left hanging, thinking, what did I just read?

Overall, I did enjoy this book! Aspects of it just personally were not for me. Fans of horror and suspense will love Power’s sophomore novel; it’s as unsettling as horror should be, an eerie tone that will stay with you long after you finish the story.

I’d like to start out by thanking Rory Power for providing a full list of content warnings for this book on her website. I would highly advise you to read them before reading the book.

Description from Delacourte Press:

“ Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along.

But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.

Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.”

This was my first book by Power, but my daughter raves about Wilder Girls so much that I’ll be reading that soon.

Power is an incredible writer, and paints a very accurate depiction of abuse and neglect.

The pacing of this book is incredible, making it incredibly hard to put down. There’s just this sense of...dread, or impending doom, Im not sure what the right term is, but it keeps the reader on the edge.

YA readers of all ages will excitedly gobble up this dark tale.

Solid 5 star read.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Delacourte Press for giving me a free copy in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.*

As a fan of mystery and thrillers, I was so excited to receive this book. I had read Wilder Girls and liked it, but this is my favorite between the two.

I thought the beginning was a bit slow as we get introduce to Margot and her mother Jo. But once we get into the thick of things, and Margot goes to find her family, the plot starts to pick up. There was so many twists and turns that I didn't even expect anything by the ending. I thought I knew what was going on, but Rory keeps things mysterious until the final reveal.

Overall, I thought this was a great thriller - I didn't know which way was up or down and every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, BOOM - twist. The people were very morally grey and I think that also really heightened the intensity of each moment. We never truly know their intention with each backhanded comment and action. I will be recommending this book to any thriller fans.

This is my first reading experience with this author.  I'd heard good things about her first book, Wilder Girls, so I jumped at the opportunity to read her newest release.

The reader is immediately thrust into Margot's life - neglected and emotionally abused by her mother and without a support system.  She's basically on her own, and it's easy to sympathize with her.  The author's writing style is descriptive without overloading the reader with details - which is always a plus for me.  She paints a bleak picture of the small town setting where Margot finds her family, and the moment she arrives, you know something's off kilter.  

Other than one very odd discovery and Margot's increasing feelings of unease, not much happens in the first half of the book.  Once things get going, the pace picks up and things become very....bizarre.  I'd picked up on several hints, but hoped the plot would take a different direction.  

This is an original plot, and although I'm usually a fan of the weird and strange, this grim story was mostly a miss for me.  Looking at other reviews, I'm in the minority on this one, and it won't keep me from reading future books by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was liking the book but not loving it for the first 80% or so. Then some very interesting plot twists were so unexpected the book moved up to a solid 4 stars.

I don’t like giving big recaps in reviews as I want the books to tell their own stories. This is one where you don’t want to know where things end up. Margot is a lonely child with an odd relationship with her mother. Her mother never talks about her family history. Craving a family and connection Margot finds her grandmother and goes to meet her. If you want to learn more read the book. It’s worth it.

That was it?

I know I'm in the minority here, but this fell a bit flat for me. The writing was not my style: very vague and a bit poetic. I also guessed part of what was going on about 20% into the story; however, the reveal left something to be desired. I guess I was hoping for a why for everything that was happening in this book, and I didn't really get an explanation.
I will say that I liked that the book was weird and very original.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Burn Our Bodies Down is a spine-chilling and unique story. I enjoyed the writing style and I truly appreciated the well-developed characters. I also enjoyed the way the author represented the family dynamics in this story, which made me really understand each character’s actions, no matter how eccentric they may have seem to me at first. However, I don’t know how I feel about all the bizarre happenings in this story. Some things worked for me and some didn’t. At one point I started having flashbacks to the Children of the Corn movie and I definitely felt the Stephan King’s vibe, which I guess is not a bad thing if you are King’s fan.

Overall, this was a strong 3 stars book for me that will find many fans in the horror/thriller category.

Thank you NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Keep a fire burning; a fire is what saves you. The first, the last, the heart of them all.”

Margot’s relationship with her mother, Jo, has been strained for as long as she can remember. Jo’s actions tend to lie in her own best interest, seemingly without any thought for her daughter and often leaving Margot to fend for herself. Whenever Margot asks her mother what her father was like or if her grandparents are still alive, Jo retreats further into herself. One sticky summer afternoon, Margot stumbles upon an artifact from her mother’s past that opens the door to a world of dangerous secrets. Margot runs away, but she’ll soon discover that her mother’s been running for much longer.

Rory Power writes in such a way that even if you’ve never been to Nebraska in the summertime, you’ll feel like you can say you have after reading Burn Our Bodies Down. This doesn’t seem like an obvious horror novel—there aren’t any traditional monsters or excessive gore or anything else one may associate with the horror genre. The subtlety is partially what drives the absolute horror of it; from the first chapter, it’s easy to pick up on the feeling that nothing is quite right, just enough off-center that you should be prepared for something terrible with every turn of the page. Margot doesn’t stop digging until the entire uncanny truth is ripped from the depths of her grandmother’s farm and everyone finally understands what has happened. Themes of mother-daughter tension and what you inherit run bone deep in this novel. The sympathetic characters, unbearable tension, and razor sharp descriptions all work to culminate in a perfectly unsettling work of horror.

Margot and her mother have a tough relationship. And Margot wants to know more about the rest of her family if there is one, and her mother won't share at all. So when Margot takes off to find out on her own, we can guess that she's going to get the proverbial more than she bargained for. Rory Power creates such dynamic characters. They are deep and full-bodied from page 1. They are creepy and flawed and learning-as-they-go and you empathize with them. It was exciting to let myself be taken in by the underlying sinister tone of the book and I couldn't even guess, didn't want to guess, at where the story would take us.

I haven't yet read Wilder Girls, (although the cover was so stunning that I did purchase it!) so Burn Our Bodies Down is my first Rory Power book. It was quite slow to start, and a little difficult to follow, almost like a stream of consciousness rather than a structured narrative. Margot and her mother have never gotten along, and it has always been only the 2 of them. When Margot discovers a link to her mother's past, she leaves her life behind to find out where she came from. From the minute Margot arrives in Phalene, this story goes off the rails. I knew something weird was going on, but I never would have guessed exactly how weird. The pacing definitely picks up in the latter half of the book, but it still felt a little drawn out to me. This story is a wild, crazy ride, and while it might not be for everyone, I think fans will be very excited to have this book in their hands.
3.5 stars

I was provided a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thanks to Delacorte and Netgalley

Burn Our Bodies Down is the second book by Rory Power and it's sure to be a hit as it's an outstanding YA thriller (with more than a touch of horror) that's about family--but not the good kind, and I love that Power explores that and does it so well. The setting--desolate town and the horror it hides--isn't new, but Power ramps up the intensity with top notch imagery and great writing. I really enjoyed this and recommended for fans of psychological horror /thriller novels.

I really commend authors who come up with ideas that are just so twisty, original, and unexpected, and Rory Power has done it in Burn Our Bodies Down.

The story started off simple enough with a crazy mother/daughter dynamic and a girl who wants to learn more about her family history, but keeps hitting a brick wall when she tries to pry details from her mother. So, she does what any teenager would do, right? She runs away to her grandmother (who she just recently found existed) and all types of weirdness ensue. When she arrives in the town of Phalene, she finds that her grandmother's field is on fire, and stranger yet, a girl who looks just like her perishes in the fire. While staying with her grandmother (who certainly acts like she's hiding something), Margot begins to dig deep into the roots of her family tree and uncovers the real reasons behind why her mother has kept so many secrets...and wow...I'll stop here...The story gets pretty intensely dark pretty quickly, but it takes quite a bit to get to that point.

The majority of the book (maybe the first 75%) is a slow build up with lots of little plot elements and "clues" being dropped, but I just found it kinda mindless as I flipped the pages after the initial discovery of Margot's doppelganger in the burning field. However, once I hit that last 25% or so and everything started to come together, I was enthralled. The imaginative explanation to all the family secrecy was so unexpected. It did seem a little outlandish, even for the context of the story, but I did find it to be an interesting angle.

3.5/5 rounded up to 4/5 for Goodreads - I couldn't help but to compare this to Wilder Girls. In the same vein, I just wanted more from this book. Some of the plot events were very original, but somewhat unbelievable, even within these fictional pages. Rory Power really does have a way with prose though, and there is just something about her writing that pulls you in and won't let go. The character dynamics and relationships were really very well done, and the atmosphere of suspense was ever present. I can't really say there's a ton I didn't like about the book, but I also wasn't overly wowed by it either. If you are a fan of darker YA reads and don't mind some heavy, twisty, thriller elements, you should totally grab this one and give it a try.