Rory Powers does it again. Last year I read The Wilder Girls, and while I was hoping it would be a series (because I didn't think I got enough closure) I was super excited to read Burn Our Bodies Down!
Power's writing always has a mystery that surrounds the story and tends to have a weird, mutation type answer. The same can be said for this book. We meet Margot, our protagonist during the summer months. She's lonely, lost, and struggling to feel loved by her mother. She also has no idea where her family comes from or even if she has any other family. When she finds a picture with the phone number of her 'Gram', she sets out to find the place where she belongs.
Upon her arrival a fire breaks out in the field's of her family and a girl, who looks remarkably like Margot, is killed in it. When the police start investigating, they come to Margot to help uncover what her family has been hiding. What Margot finds will throw her life for a loop and even the life of her new found friend. I really don't want to say to much more than that because it's really better to read this book with an open mind but that ending, mind blown.
Powers has really stitched together a greatly bizarre family dynamic tale. She perfectly captures the 'complicated' relationship between Margot, her mother, grandmother, and the rest of the 'family'. Ugh it extremely hard to describe this book without spoilers, fyi!
If you like Stephen King's creepy vibes mixed with some 'Children of the Corn' and a bit of chaos then this book is perfect for you!

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Burn Our Bodies Down. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books. Huge thank you to Delacorte Press for my Advanced Copy.

I'm calling it now this book is going to be just as divisive as Wilder Girls. Rory Power has such eerier and atmospheric writing that leaves you compelled. Also, those corn fields.

This book was fantastic. Another amazing novel by Rory power. She built this book like a fire. Starting small and bringing it to a blaze. I would highly recommended if you enjoyed wilder girls to read this! A great teen read that can be enjoyed by many! Kudos again to the author for another enjoyable ride! Can not wait to purchase a hard copy!

Burn Our Bodies Down follows a teen named Margot. For her entire life it’s only been her and her mother…no one else. Anytime Margot has questions about her relatives, she never gets any answers. All she wants is to know her family and their history. So when she finds a photograph from her mother’s past she decides to take advantage of it. She ends up going to the town where her mom was raised, but she has no idea what secrets she is about to uncover.

This may be weird to say, but I love Rory Power’s brain! She comes up with the most bizarre ideas and somehow just makes then work. I honestly have no idea how she does it, but I can say with certainty that I will read anything and everything she writes.

Burn Our Bodies Down was so dark and very twisted. It definitely has an eerie vibe to it. The story went in a direction I was not expecting whatsoever. I tried to guess what was going to happen but oh my, I failed miserably. The author throws in these little clues along the way and you think you may know what they mean, but nope you would be wrong!

With fascinating twists and turns, I devoured this book. It had me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was right there with Margot as she discovered the shocking secrets of her family. I honestly couldn’t get enough of this story.

I loved our main character Margot. She hasn’t had the easiest life. Her and her mother Jo do not have the healthiest relationship. Jo is actually pretty toxic and she literally had no business raising a kid. Through the book, it’s easy to tell just how much Margot’s upbringing negatively impacted her. I was rooting for her so much though. I wanted her to find the answers that she needed. Margot goes through A LOT in this story and I love how determined and strong she is.

Overall, I loved everything about Burn Our Bodies Down. It was strange but in the best way possible. I highly encourage you to add this to your TBR shelves. You won’t regret it!

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Margot is a 17 year-old living with her mother who yearns for a deeper family connection than her mother is able or willing to give her. When she finds a connection to an unknown grandmother, she takes it and runs with it.

Phalene is a where her mother grew up. It's strange and strange things happen as soon as Margot arrives.

With twists and turns and a lot of introspective, one thing Margot remembers is to keep the candle burning.


I had a little bit of a hard time getting into this book as I wasn't quite sure what was going on for the first few chapters. But the author does a good job of keeping you in the loop through what Margot learns about her family.

Well this one definitely threw me for a loop. I‘ll admit I was pretty cocky and thought I knew exactly where this book was headed, but even when I was on the right track, I got the degree very, very wrong. At one point when I was maybe halfway through reading I commented on Chelsea’s status update that I was “waiting for everything to go off the rails”, and through time and space Rory Power HEARD me and decided to grant me that request. Be careful what you wish for, y’all!!

The story starts with 17 year-old Margot and her mom, Josephine, barely getting by in their small apartment and meager income. Beyond poverty, there’s a massive amount of simmering tension between the two of them, at near-constant risk of erupting. Eventually this leads to Margot seeking out the family that her mother has always kept hidden from her.

I’m always down for a complex family dynamic. I appreciated the relationship between Margot, her mother and grandmother, Vera, and loved dissecting what each microaggression (or full-on aggression) lobbed at one another meant. There were plenty of secrets that we get to uncover along the way, especially since none of the women are particularly forthright.

“Does understanding her mean I have to forgive her?”

I also adored Power’s writing. She captures these really specific, human moments between her characters just beautifully. My Kindle copy is filled with highlighted passages, and I’m guessing anyone who’s had even a somewhat-toxic relationship with a family member will be struck by her insights. I ended up skipping Wilder Girls last year and clearly that was my mistake. I know people were guuuushing about the cover, but I hope that the book itself ends up being just as engrossing.

That said, I still feel like the story was missing something. Parts just felt underdeveloped. Tess was promising, but both her and Eli seemed like they were added as a means to and end. I never quite understood Josephine, and I think some of her ‘quirks’ needed to be explained a little more. It felt a bit rushed, especially by the end, and I wish Power had taken more time to elaborate on this really creative premise. And it felt pretty dark for a YA novel; I get that the heroine is a teenager, but I don’t know if I would market this to teenagers. In all, there was a lot of good stuff to work with, but it still felt unfinished. I am absolutely interested in reading more from her, though, and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next..

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

My Reactions:

My Attention: the mysteriousness of the story pulled me along but I got frustrated at some points

World Building: story takes place on a farm

Writing Style: definitely felt all of Margot’s despair, distrust, and her neglect

Bringing the Heat: it brings literal HEAT, and I mean from a fire 😟

Crazy in Love: nope none

Creativity: okay the truth that is revealed in this story is creative and…strange

Mood: unsettled

Triggers: toxic family relationship, death

My Takeaway: I think I’m still processing this – but my takeaway? Family secrets suck. 🤷🏻‍♀️ And the truth needs to come out before healing can take place.

What I Liked:

*This story was different and I didn’t expect the direction it was taking at all. There is an interesting twist in the story that surprised me. The author did such a great job really keeping me guessing until the end.

*It definitely had a creepy factor to the story and it kept me on my toes trying to guess what was going on. Grandma was creepy but the horror emerges at the ending of the story. It was more like a mystery/thriller than horror.

*Margot is a complicated character. She’s a teenager that has been absolutely neglected by her mother. So when Margot leaves to find out more about her “family”, she realizes there are so many secrets to uncover about her mom’s past. Margot makes many hard decisions in the end, but she had to – the secrets were getting out of hand.

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:
*The first half of the book holds all the mystery and it was slow going. I kept wondering what could be happening on this farm? Why is the community so secretive about the Nielsen family? I had many questions. It was frustrating because no one would talk and I felt like the story wasn’t getting anywhere.

*Margot’s grandmother…she made me go hmmm all throughout the book!

Final Thoughts:
This story explores the dysfunctional family and secrets that can tear a family apart. I enjoyed it because it was different, strange and the truth that was revealed was horrifying. But I also thought it was just okay and maybe I spent more time trying to make sense of some things that happened in the story? I have mixed feelings about this one but I think many people who enjoy a young adult thriller will enjoy it.

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.