The first thing that really grabbed me was Power’s writing style. Somehow she made shorter, almost blunt, sentences full of description and impact. Especially when you read and look at a whole paragraph together. It’s hard to find a writer that still comes across as unique or different, even slightly, from what you’ve read before. What I also really enjoyed is that she did a really good job not only of pulling the story together, but dropping clues and hints, but still not revealing enough for the reader to guess anything. Even though it kept me on my toes and guessing, it’s still very different from the other kind of thrillers I’ve read. It’s a constantly simmering thriller.

There was definitely a lot more description when it came to the characters. From Margot to her mom Josephine, to her grandmother Vera, and to her new friend Tess. I’m not really great at picturing characters super well to being with, but all of these main characters felt real and I could imagine them fairly well in my head as I read. I thought Rory Power did a great job capturing the small details that we do everyday, like a head tilt.

I thought the plot was great though once I got to the end, I felt like the story’s real focus was on the characters and what they did. The plot served a purpose, though it did add a lot to the story too. I definitely did not see the ending or what the truth of what was really going on and why Margot’s mother left all those years ago. It was quite the twist. And definitely freaky.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Burn Our Bodies Down.

I honestly never thought I’d write a review like this mainly because I usually get bored with books and end up putting them down before finishing so my review consists of “couldn’t finish this, sorry!” But not this book... I finished this book and I can honestly say I wish I had put it down. I was so incredibly intrigued with the plot and on NetGalley it was one of the most requested books with great reviews so I had to read it. The ending of this book, IMHO is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read!!! I personally do not enjoy anything that is so completely far fetched and when I finally figured out what was going on here I don’t think my eye roll could’ve been any bigger. If I wasn’t at 92% and still hoping that there HAD to be another explanation, I would’ve put the book down. The last two chapters I skimmed just to be able to move on. If you enjoy far fetched plot that a zero percent chance of happening in real life, maybe this is the book for you but it was not to me! I really wish I could get the last 2 days of my life back so I could read a book more worthwhile.

This is Power's sophomore novel and although I enjoyed her debut very much, and there were elements I loved about this book, as a whole, I didn’t think it was as strong as Wilder Girls. The book is being marketed as Children of the Corn meets Sharp Objects. And maaaaybe there’s a slight similarity, but apart from the book being mostly set in cornfields, there’s not much to suggest that it has the creepy religious vibes that Children of the Corn had. And that’s okay, however, sometimes the way publishing houses promote novels leave you wondering if they have actually even read the book.

First of all, let me just state that Powers is a master class in prose. Her writing is beautiful and she does an awesome job at creating a feeling of disquiet terror in the reader. There’s something unsettling and you know that there’s something not quite right about Fairheaven when Margot reaches her destination, however, we don’t what it is. I know of figured out what was happening, and I did enjoy all the body horror elements of the story.

Where the novel fell short for me is the fact that it would’ve benefited if there has been more of a backstory and history of Phalene (the town where the story is set). Because I feel that the story would’ve been richer with more info about the town in the past (there were some details provided but they felt very scarce). Another place where the story fell short for me was that the side characters were barely there and we hardly got to know much about them. I would’ve liked a bit more scenes between Tess and Margot, or at least to see a deepening of their friendship/relationship.

The novel is paced much like a horror film, where events take place in a span of a week. I wish the pacing hadn’t been so rushed, because I wanted Margot to feel more conflicted about her relationship with her grandmother had she gotten to know her better over a period of time. Maybe the story should’ve spanned a month or so. I just feel like we spent so little time with the characters and I was enjoying the book and would’ve have minded a longer novel (maybe another 50-60 pages more, nothing crazy).

Margot’s mother also stresses the importance of burning a candle at ALL TIMES. And although fire comes into the picture once again in the novel during a pivotal scene, I feel like the meaning fo the candles and fire wasn’t fully explained as it could’ve been. There should’ve been an entire mythology built around why a candle should always be burning at all times.

Overall, I did enjoy the book very much and it did a good job at creating a creepy atmosphere as well as explore a highly dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship.

I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK IF YOU LOVE RURAL HORROR COMBINED WITH LUSH DESCRIPTIONS.
*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I was provided an e-copy of this book by Netgalley and Random House Children's.
All opinions are my own.

Plot⇢ 5/5 -
Narration Performance⇢ 3.5/5
Characters⇢ 3.5/5 - Only two characters had any real depth to them.
The Feels/Memorability⇢ 4/5 - The ending was really sad.
Pacing⇢ 5/5 - Boy. This book picks up and doesn't slow down.
Is it Binge-able/Gripping⇢ 5/5 - read in one sitting, so yes.
Writing Style⇢ 4/5
Originality⇢ 5/5
Impactful/Joy⇢ 4/5
Entertainment⇢4/5
Hype⇢ 4/5 - I've not seen any hype behind this book what-so-ever, so this category is for the author themselves. They were way overhyped for their book Wilder Girls, and it was awful. One of the worst books I've ever read in my life. So I was wary going in. I was very pleasantly surprised. Binged it all in one sitting.
Satisfying Direction?⇢ 4/5
Ending⇢ 4.5/5
Average⇢ 4.57/5

Can I swear on Goodreads? Because if I could, I'd call this book a mindf*ck. I was intensely interested in following the thrilling mystery to its climax because I wanted to know how sick and twisted Power would make this especially having read Wilder Girls too. The book weaves in and out and then accelerates at a breakneck pace once Margot ends of the Fairhaven property of her grandmother and tries to identify the secrets that both her mother and grandmother have been keeping, including the new mystery of the girl who died on the very day Margot arrives after ANOTHER fire in the family farm fields.

There's an element of convenience for some of the plot points that are set up from the beginning with the pawning and discovery of Jo's mom's inscribed Bible, but you can conveniently forget how blatant they are in connecting some dots because it spins out of control in a crazy magical/sci-fi mashup that borders on a bit of STEM.

Take me on a ride, Power, take me on a ride because I was there from start to finish and the blood bath in between makes me never want to see an apricot again.

So here’s the thing nothing I say will give this book the justice it deserves so do yourself a favor and read it! 🌽Burn Our Bodies Down is hands down of my favorite books of the year. Wilder Girls 🌸 was one of my favorites of 2019 so imagine how anxious I was to get my hands on this one. It does NOT disappoint. 🔥 Now there’s only so much I can say because you should go into this one completely blind and let the story take you where it will. 🌽
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Margot has a weird relationship with her mother and wants to find out why they’re so estranged from the rest of her family, or if there is even anyone else in her family. She uncovers a note in a bible that leads her down a rotten, mysterious, and dangerous path back to her mother’s hometown. Can she get her questions answered? 🌽
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Rory has such a way of completely inthralling you. Her stories are wicked, twisted, thrilling, and dark. Everything I want and need in a novel. I love how Rory’s books make me love being a reader. 🖤 I never want to look away from her words until I’m finished. And then I still can’t stop thinking about them. 🌽
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Anyways guys read this fucking book. My synopsis was vague but to be honest I didn’t read what the book was about before I picked it up anyhow. All I needed to know was that Rory crafted it. So follow my lead and preorder this one. It comes out June 7, 2020. I can’t wait to see what @itsrorypower shocks me with next! 🌽
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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#burnourbodiesdown #rorypower #wildergirls #horrornovels #bookstageam #bookstagrammer #getunderlined #bookish #bookaesthetic #readerslife #bookworm #booknerd #readersgonnaread #iloveya #yalit #bookrecommendations #bookishthoughts

Wow. WTF did I just read? Was not expecting where that went at the end.

The lyrical writing style took some getting used to and I think that was done on purpose to confuse the reader and create suspense. This is rural horror like Harrow County or Stranger Things. Surprised by how much I enjoyed this and now I want to try Wilder Girls again.

Literary, complex, and ultimately--chilling. Margot has always had her mom but no other family. And, according to Margot, she's really the parent; she has always taken care of her mother. So, when Margot finally finds a lifeline, she grabs it. Margot goes in search of what she's always dreamed about--love and acceptance.

Not as comfortable in its own skin as Wilder Girls, but still more polished. The writing in Burn Our Bodies Down is reaching out to shake your hand with the right hand while pressing a knife between your ribs with the left. There's so much more teeming, unseen beneath the surface. While not as descriptive (read: gory) as Wilder Girls, Burn Our Bodies Down wraps the reader in the most toxic family I've ever seen. Daughter and mother and grandmother masters of manipulation in different forms: daughter explosive and emotional, mother jagged and unpredictable, grandmother remote and cold. The dialogue was like watching a series of duels between professional swordswomen with vastly different schools of training.

The surface-level plot was a bit dull. You don't really get a payoff on the big mystery (at least not in a way that really clicks) until around 85% in. It's just a lot of layers of cenversation between the three generations of Nielsen women and all the sharp hooks they toss between them. But there are a lot of really interesting interactions with outside characters, seen in a way that only someone like Margot could see. Her fascination with Tess (beyond just an initial spark of attraction) kept coming back and kept being relevant in a big way.

Despite being able to guess the answer well in advance, I still found myself surprised and intrigued on that journey. And when we did get to the gore and the weird stuff that was so beautifully present in Wilder Girls, Power absolutely did not disappoint.

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power is unique, haunting, atmospheric read that kept me shaking as I flipped to each new page. The story follows Margot who lives with her neglectful and secretive mother. When Margot discover's that her grandmother is alive and lives just 3 hours away, she runs away from home to meet her grandmother and discover why her mother is the way she is. However, when she gets there, Margot realizes that the mysteries keep getting bigger and even more dangerous.

This is my first time reading Rory Power and I instantly fell in love with her writing style. The small town mixed with the isolated corn farm fields made for the perfect creepy setting for this chilling book. While I loved uncovering the mystery of this small town with every page and meeting the residents who lived their, I wish we spent more time developing the side characters so that I would be more invested in their fates and relationship with Margot. I also wish we got some answers early in the book because the ending felt a tad rushed.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

BURN OUR BODIES DOWN is a twisting, creepy, atmospheric thriller from Rory Power—who has quickly established herself as on of my favorite writers. Power’s beautiful writing and sense of atmosphere carries on from her debut WILDER GIRLS, as she draws us into a tale of a very complicated family of women—and all the ways they love and hurt each other.

Aside from the thriller aspects, which are fantastic, the exploration of family and failure is actually what makes this book stand out so much for me. It’s a heartbreaking exploration of a fractured mother/daughter relationship, and the tortured path to understanding—and from there, what can come next.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved WILDER GIRLS, and to anyone who has struggled with a toxic family relationship

Thank you to NetGalley for a free eArc in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I’d like to say that this is outside of my go to genre. I wanted to try it out because I heard a lot of good things about Wilder Girls and the cover is gorgeous! That being said- I’d still say this book wasn’t for me. It wasn’t the best thriller I’ve seen honestly. I guessed the entire ending by halfway through and didn’t feel like the twists were really that “thrilling” or were really explained well in any way. The reasoning was just kind of thrown out there in a very far-fetched way and then it was over.
Overall, I was just disappointed in the whole experience. I felt like this idea could’ve really been molded into something amazing, but it missed the mark.

What did I just read? I was sucked in by this book and read it in one sitting, every time I put it down I couldn't stop thinking about it and had to go back. I don't know how to talk about this book without giving things away but man it is weird. Most of the story is creepy and kind of slow paced, until the end where everything just hits the fan and I loved that.

Wow, that was interesting. A unique story that really had me guessing.
Very well written and paced.
I would describe this book as mommy dearest meets the twilight zone.

I was hoping for a little more of a twist at the very end. I love when stories like this answer all your questions, but then there is some sort of epilogue that gives you that lingering curiosity. But it just ended on a simple note. I just wanted more, which may be good sign I think. Overall, great story and themes. Powerful, excellent writing. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you netgalley and Delacorte for gifting me a digital copy to read and review

Having read Wilder Girls and being thoroughly entranced with its dark story line and subtle hints of darker things lying beneath what the narrators gave us, I was thrilled to be blessed with this ARC of Burn Our Bodies Down. Margot lives with her mother. Her mother, who looks exactly like her, isn't the best of mothers. She knows that. But it's always been the two of them and they've made do, despite the arguments, the fights, the beating each other down. She knows the limits of her mother. She can handle her. Even when her mother forces her to light a candle each day because it's important to "keep a fire burning; a fire is what saves you." When trying to get on her mother's always changing good side after an argument, she tries to bring her something that'll make her happy. In doing so, Margot discovers she might have family she's never known about. People and places, things her mother has hidden from her. Margot knows she might push her mother too far with this knowledge, but how can she let something like this go?

If Wilder Girls was a thriller, albeit a slightly magical thriller that kept me on the edge of my seats, then Burn Our Bodies down is a horror movie. Not a minute goes by where you don't think something dark is lurking beneath the words. Things are never what they seem. Everyone has secrets. But everyone also does a great job at covering them up. The characters walk a fine line between telling what they should and saying just enough. We know something isn't right at Fairhaven. It's a little too odd that Margot and her mom look as close as they do. Things aren't going well in Phalene and they haven't since Vera Nielsen took over Fairhaven. Margot is every bit the unreliable narrator. She knows little about her family's past and isn't the best at reading into things. But she does know nothing is as it should be. And she'll do anything to get to the bottom of it.

I have nothing but praise for Rory's books. Including this one. It kept me on the edge of my seat, the horror placed throughout and the sheer drama of the last 50% kept me entranced and almost made me sick. I do fine in horror movies, but there's something about horror books that just gets under my skin and keeps me up at night. Margot's story is no different. I was actually nauseous while reading and feel certain I'll have nightmares for a good while. And, to me, that makes this an excellent read. We all need a little something that keeps you up at night.

This was a pretty interesting read and kept my attention until the very end.

Margot knows next to nothing about her family, until one day when she finds a photo tucked inside a bible that belonged to her mother. This leads her to a small town called Phalene where her mother grew up. There she’s finds her grandmother...and a whole lot more than she bargained for! It becomes clear to her why her mother left, and the twist is one I didn’t see coming.

The buildup of the story was great and I loved Margot’s character. She seemed so lost, having known nothing about her family’s past, but once she found out the truth, she was determined to destroy it before it went on any further. Definitely recommending this book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3324608632

This book was riveting from start to finish. I have never read a book so fast. Highly recommend. The book cements Rory Power’s spot as a YA powerhouse. Can’t wait to see what she does next.

Rory Power's BURN OUR BODIES DOWN was equal parts disturbing and enthralling. The characters were richly drawn, and the pacing kept me on my toes, trying to figure out the mystery. BEWARE the body horror (per Power's signature style), but just look away for a second. She wraps it up tidily at the end, but leaves us with questions we can only answer for ourselves. Highly recommend!

This story was dark. After ready Rory Power’s last book I was intrigued for anything else she put out and I was not disappointed. Her writing style is beautiful and she is able to craft such a twisted and strange story. It all works so well. It’s a slower paced novel where we spend most of our time trying to understand the mystery regarding this family. It’s unsettling but keeps you going. I enjoyed this a lot.

I wanted to read this book because a lot of times I like the second book from an author more than I like the first. I read Wilder Girls last year with a group of bookstagrammers, and it just didn’t hit well with me. But, I really wanted to try again and had high hopes for Rory’s second book.


I tried to go into this one a little blind. I had read the synopsis a long time before, and have found recently going into books blind made me enjoy them more. That lasted for only about 5% of the book because I felt very confused in trying to figure out what was happening with the story and relationships at the beginning. So I went back and read the synopsis which did help give my reading direction so I could get everything I was reading fixed in my mind.


I know this was meant to be a thriller, but overall I didn’t feel very thrilled. Because the story was set in the modern world, I was expecting it to be realistic thrills or pieces of storyline that were revealed as the story went on. But as I was reading I kept remembering Wilder Girls, and thinking that I needed to accept outrageous and unrealistic things happening. I kept trying to compare it in my head to reading Stephen King, where wild unrealistic things happen in reality, but by the end of the book I just could not get there.


I just could not get on board with immaculate conception occurring and the land growing human beings because of the use of a farming chemical. I think the concept was way too far out there for me to even be thrilled because it was so unbelievable.


But overall I feel like the real reason I struggle with reading Rory’s books is that I just don’t connect well to how she writes the dialogue to get the story moving. For example, I don’t enjoy thrillers where denial is the only theme, and characters constantly say “I don’t know what you’re talking about” or “That’s none of your business.” I didn’t think the breadcrumbs leading us to slowly figuring out the story were done well enough. I felt like it was constant I don’t know, you don’t know, what do you know, with no answers, until the very end where there has to be some explanation.


I also felt as a reader that the story was written with the main character “figuring things out” that I didn’t follow. As she “figured things out” I still wasn’t getting it, and it almost felt like it was written where, of course the author understands what the MC was supposed to get, but because I don’t know all the details in the author’s head, I wasn’t learning alongside the MC.


I know this is a YA book, but I feel like it could have been better developed if the story was extended over more than 3 days. I feel like that also lended to not really believing what was happening, or getting super involved in the story, because Margot wasn’t really involved. She had only been there 3 days.


I feel that I gave her a second chance, and I still didn’t connect well with the book, so I’m not sure if I will read another from her.