Margot has been secretly searching for her past behind her emotionally distant mother’s back for as long as she can remember. That’s a hard task to accomplish when you have to walk on egg shells in a tiny, run-down apartment in a city you hate. However, when buying back some of her mother’s possessions from the local pawn shop with squirreled away money, she finds a clue tucked away in an old bible on the back of a photo.

Phalene.

Margot plots an escape to the small farming town. Seeking her family and the story of her past, everyone seems to know who she is, but no one can tell her much of anything. Things turn hostile when she finds a dead girl who shares her own face in a blazing field fire. A girl no one seems to have ever seen before. A girl her grandmother also ever knowing.

As Margo dives deeper and deeper into the mystery of her own origins and searches for answers to who this doppelgänger girl could be, she finds herself in the middle of a dark, deep mystery spanning generations. As she spirals into the horrors of her family’s history, she struggles with the choice between keeping the family and sense of belonging she has finally found or the rabbit hole that is the past.

Burn Our Bodies Down was an unexpected ride. It was a slow, aching build up of intertwined mysteries that overflowed in a rush of blood and horror. It was one of those horror stories that keeps you guessing until the bitter end. The ideas were original, the setting and plot were well fleshed out, and the larger themes were made clear in the end.

I highly recommend this to any YA horror fans out there who want a summer mystery to sink their teeth into.

Haunting, terrifying, and brilliant.

Burn Our Bodies Down is about what happens when Margot Nielsen embarks on a journey to uncover the secrets of her past. As far as Margot has ever known, it's been just her and her mother, but a chance discovery leads her to a small town called Phalene, where her grandmother has been waiting for her.

This book was an absolutely wild journey told from Margot's point of view, and Powers' writing style is wonderfully poetic and engaging. The first 75% of it builds you up and with every word, there's a constant sense of dread lurking right underneath the surface. At times, it does seem to drag on, but there is always a feeling of unease. Then, the last quarter of the book jumps out from behind a tree, beats you up, and throws you off a cliff. There are breadcrumbs dropped along the way that hint at the ending, but I wasn't quite prepared for the terrifying outcome and resolution. I was somewhat disappointed by how quickly and abruptly everything was wrapped up; I had hoped for a more drawn-out reveal, but at the same time, it was scary enough that perhaps I should be thankful it was over so quickly.

The main characters in the book are built up very well, with deep and intricate flaws and characteristics. Margot's character is raw, emotional, and fierce, in contrast to her anxious and compulsive mother. However, I would have liked to see more of Tess, who seemed more important to the plot than as a stand-alone character. The relationship between Margot and Tess is a tentative alliance that grows into friendship, and their characters balance each other out well.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sophomore books usually don't do anything for me and I really feared that for this one despite the fact that I was overwhelmingly excited for it... and let me tell you, it did not disappoint me.

I've seen this book compared to WILDER GIRLS but I didn't get that vibe at all. This book is set in the middle of corn field where nothing is quite right and secrets lurk around every corner. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, shocked and awed by each new revelation. Between the strange characters and uncomfortable setting, Power's did an amazing job of keeping me on my toes.

This is a well-developed, well-written, twisting and turning book about a young girl who wants answers about her family. I found this book intriguing throughout, and all of the characters felt truly real and fleshed out to me. Even the simplest moments held bits of a sense of unease (exactly as I would have wished for), and I kept waiting to find out what would happen next.

I adored 'Wilder Girls', and this was such a great continuation of Rory Powers' writing prowess.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Delacorte Press for the chance to read this book!

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power is filled with dark secrets, unsettling atmosphere, and a mystery the Nielsen women have been keeping for generations.

Apricot trees and Cornfields, words spoken so sweet and sharp they cut, and a young girl who searches for the meaning behind family.

There is a compelling and haunting way the author writes in this story that lures you into it. Toxic family dynamics are surrounded by a mystery that slowly unravels—namely what are the Nielsen women hiding.

At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to the protagonist Margot, a teen who desperately wants answers about her family, and why her mother refuses to talk about them.

Immediately Power’s creates a sense of foreboding that some things should be left alone, but when Margot finds her mother’s bible with a photograph hidden in it, she has finally had a clue. A town called Phalene and a grandmother who runs the Nielsen farm there called Fairhaven.

Although the plot is filled with some twists and turns, and there is this undeniable creepy atmosphere, it is the relationships between mother and daughter, the way the women interact with one another, that persuades you to keep turning the pages.

I found myself fascinated and appalled at the same time by their interactions, how their words are at once soothing and yet cutting. Their turn of phrases and strange magnetism to each other despite how they hurt.

You can’t help but feel for Margot as she struggles to find answers even while they reveal a deeper layer of betrayal and lies.

The setting of Fairhaven with its aging farmhouse, its rippling fields of an almost alien cornfield and the strange and bent trees of its orchards leave the hairs on the back of your neck tingling. The chilling letters Margot discovers just add a sense of foreboding.

Power’s writes magical realism with quick, lyrical sentences while enticing our senses. I gave the story a lower rating because, despite my overall enjoyment of the characters and writing, the plot and story’s ending left me wanting more.

3.5/5 Stars

This was such a good second novel for this author!! I think those who had problems with the ending of her first book (Wilder Girls) will be more satisfied with the way this one wraps up. And those who loved her first book for its weirdness will not miss out on ANY weirdness in this one. The writing was great and right from the start felt super ominous. I was never bored with where the story went and although I wanted maybe a litttttle more surprise to make it a full 5 stars, I’m happy with what I got. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Margot's life is not great. Her mother tells her nothing about her past and demands Margot always keep a candle burning no matter what. Why? Margot doesn't know, but she's determined to find out.

When she goes to look for answers, her mother shuts her down completely. But is that going to stop her? Absolutely not. And that leads her to finding a phone number for a grandmother she's never met and sneaking out in the early morning to make her way to Phalene where she lives.

What shes finds is not what she expected and it scares the shit out of her. Something is going on in Phalene and her grandmother is hiding something big from her. There's a dead girl who looks exactly like Margot, corn fields that look all wrong, and strange things keep happening inside her grandmother's house that Margot doesn't like.

This book is creeeeepy! It's atmospheric af and gives you just enough information to keep you reading until it's 4 AM and you're scared to go to bed because WTF IS WITH THE CORN?! Margot is also quite gay for a girl she meets in Phalene and their adventures together are some of my favorite parts of the story.

I also just really like Margot as a character. Even when she's scared, she's willing to fight back against her grandmother to find out exactly what she's keeping from her. Bravery and courage is fighting even when you're scared and that is Margot to a tee.

If you liked Wilder Girls or like a spooky, creepy story set in the Midwest, you need to read Burn Our Bodies Down. Rory Power is quickly becoming a must-read author for me. I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Burn Our Bodies Down comes out July 7, 2020.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This haunting sophomore novel provides new spins on Rory Power’s signature body horror and environmentally conscious themes. I was hooked from the very first page, and could not be more grateful to have experienced Phalene as an early reader.

The cycles of abuse that Margot experiences feel so personal and real—her headspace is so clearly delineated through the novel that I truly think I got to inhabit her mind for a brief while. Her responses to the events of the novel also influenced her perception of herself and her family, so despite the fact that the book is entirely in her perspective, it avoided repetition. This contributed to my enjoyment of the novel, as I dislike narrative repetition if avoidable. My favorite books are the ones where I can understand each character’s choices, and what makes them tick. Ergo, Burn Our Bodies Down is one of my new favorites.

This book is also special because of the relationships between its characters, even as we see Margot trying to learn who she is. Her family relationships, especially the rocky one between her and her mom, as well as the new friendships she forms, felt so real to me. I could perfectly imagine life in her apartment: candle lit, fridge semi-filled, too much waiting in the summer heat. And Margot’s never-ending hunger for what she thinks of as a “real family,” with love sweet like cotton candy. I can’t pretend to understand her specific situation, but Power wrote with such clarity and compassion that I truly felt for Margot.

And let’s not forget the horror! Oh my goodness, I was not expecting the reveals. Everything builds up to the conclusion in a way that had me marveling at the foreshadowing. The body horror builds over the course of the story in a different way than in Wilder Girls, but I loved Power’s descriptions just as much. She has a very careful way about her words, and I was sucked into the visuals of Margot’s family and Phalene immediately.

I’m giving Burn Our Bodies Down 5/5 stars, and I’m so glad it soared above my expectations as one of my most anticipated novels of 2020. Buy it, y’all!

You want to know the truth, and the whole truth of what REALLY happened in Phalene? You wouldn’t believe me, even if I did tell you. This is a MUST read YA thriller.

Starting on a quest to find her family after finding a phone number and name, Margot thinks discovering her family’s origins will answer questions about her family’s past.

Strange things happen on the farm. How strange will things get before Margot decides it’s gone too far?

Power keeps the story moving, filling it with twists and turns til the very end. Every chapter leaves on a cliff hanger, forcing you to keep reading. And what an ending! Keep the flame burning.

Rory Power has a gift. She has the gift of storytelling. Her books have a way of sucking you in and compelling you to keep reading. Burn Our Bodies Down certainly was no exception. It had everything: a great cast of characters, a good story, and enough elements of surprise to keep the reader guessing until the very end. Whatever I thought I was going to get when I started this book, by the end I realized I was getting something completely different.

And I was fine with that.

Margot is a fierce main character who never hesitated to get what she wanted. Her wants became the readers wants, and the reader will definitely want to find out the answers to Margot’s family mystery just as much as Margot herself wants. Honestly, this book is fantastic, and I cannot wait for it to come out into the world for others to enjoy as well!

I loved Rory Powers precious book Wilder Girls, and I was so excited when I saw she came out with a new book! I knew I had to read and wow she did not disappoint! I absolutely loved this book amd recomend it to everyone.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this amazing book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This book was something else. I went into it pretty blindly and it was so good I’m basically speechless.

This story is about a girl named Margot who lives with her mother. Right off the bat you can tell they have a very rocky relationship and there’s a lot of secrets that Margots mother is keeping from her. The story quickly unfolds and Margot goes off to search for her grandmother, who lives about 3 hours away. The day Margot gets to phalene, there is a fire on her grandmothers farm. When Margot sees the fire, she spots a girl in the field. The girl is dead but she looks exactly like Margot. They have the same face.

This book was soooooo good and especially after about 50% I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! So many twists and turns at the end. The writing style was spectacular! I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future! I definitely recommend this to everyone.

Sometimes when I request a NetGalley arc to review, I chose solely on the cover, the author, the book title etc without reading the publishers blurb. Burn Our Bodies Down, (actually chosen for the title in this case) is a twisty, gothic-y, horror-ish story and it was only when I was halfway through did I realize it was categorized as a YA. Novel. Who knew they could be so good? Wish they were around when I was a teenager. My life would certainly have turned out differently.....with these kind of role models.

When I saw that Rory Power had a new book coming out, I was absolutely thrilled! Wilder Girls was a favorite in all of its bizarre glory and I was hoping for the same in Burn Our Bodies Down. I got what I wished for because it is utterly fantastic. The same eerie ominous atmosphere permeates throughout the book and kept me turning pages until the dramatic conclusion. I was still thinking about Burn Our Bodies Down this morning when I woke up. I have a feeling it’s going to stay with me for a while.

Margot, the main character is well-crafted, she is an abused and neglected girl whose mother has lied to her entire life. When she decides to seek out extended family, some awful truths emerge in one of the most bizarre towns imaginable with an even more bizarre family. Ms. Power does such an exceptional job writing the dysfunctional relationship between Margot and her mother, Jo. The storyline itself is perfectly paced, just enough to develop an overwhelming sense of unease that was pervasive pretty much right from the beginning but really ramps up when Margot arrives in the town of Phalene and meets her ‘family’. To say I enjoyed Burn Our Bodies Down is an understatement, this will be one that I’m going to be recommending to everyone. Although it’s considered young adult, I think it can be enjoyed by all ages.

A big thank you to Delacorte Press, Rory Power, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Burn Our Bodies Down in exchange for my honest review.

This follow-up to last year’s stunning (truly incapacitating) “Wilder Girls” is reason to celebrate: not just the book itself, which is great, but the proof that Rory Power appears to have a fully, diverse, limitless career before her. It makes me giddy to think of all the stories she may have inside, that she may write down, that she may share. But that’s for later. For now: “Burn Our Bodies Down.” It’s an enthralling tale of secrets, lies, family, destiny and the free will & strength to raise a middle finger to that destiny. Margot is a character for the ages, timeless as she is; she’s also very much a character of today, someone so stuck in her own head she might actually be living two lives simultaneously, one in the physical world and one locked away in her overcalculating brain. Like all of us. I won’t give any plot points away. I’ll just say it’s at once thrilling, introspective, surprising, maddening, tender, and vicious AF. It’s a gorgeous read, not because it’s beautiful, but because despite everything, Margot is. Beautiful. And awful. And deadly. And loving. And confused. And heroic. Now I’m rambling, so I’ll stop and just say: read it.

I couldn't get into Wilder Girls. And I managed to finish this I probably could have finished this in one sitting. It's a really easy read. Im just not sold on it. I felt like it fell flat and it was boring. Not one likeable character and the plot was weird.

*3.0

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

Let me start out by saying I did not read Wilder Girls so this was my first experience with a Rory Power book. This book was very strange and I'm not sure I really understand the explanation of what was going on behind all of the events in the book.

I really enjoyed the raw explanation of the relationship with Margot and her mother. Margot's perspective was honest and vulnerable. I did sometimes get frustrated with the character of Margot's mother but I think that's the point. Margot, to me, ended up being quite the strong female character and I appreciated her journey to get there.

Overall, this was unlike any book I've ever read so this is hard to rate and review, in my opinion, but I feel like this could appeal to a large audience.

I was very excited to receive an eARC of this novel after reading Wilder Girls recently. With only two novels Rory Power has already become one of my favorite authors. Burn Our Bodies Down perfectly lived up to my expectations and exceeded them. The family dynamics and horror elements kept me on the edge of my seat and provided a very enjoyable read.

Wow, this book is so! fricking! good!

I didn't have the pleasure of being able to read Power's debut, Wilder Girls, mostly because I couldn't stomach the body horror in the first two chapters and figured it would only get worse from there. So, when I requested Burn Our Bodies Down (and actually received it! Thanks Netgalley and Random House!), I was hoping it would be more tame. For those of you who, like me, can't handle intense body horror, definitely give Burn Our Bodies a try!

Burn Our Bodies follows Margot Nielson, the daughter of Josephine Nielson, as a girl who has been walking on eggshells all her life. Margot has always wanted to know about the family her mother never talks about - they must exist, right? - and after a chance discovery that finally gives her the link to a grandmother she's never known and an escape from Jo's selfish, burning, barbed-wire love and care, she takes it and leaves to find herself in Phalene. But even when she arrives, all is not as it seems, because there's a fresh fire on the Nielson farm and a dead girl who looks an awful lot like Margot that leads to the unraveling of a family mystery that will leave you breathless and desperate to turn every page.

The Nielson family is super toxic, so if that's a trigger for you, please be warned. I'd list other content warnings, but Rory Power does it best on her website, so please consult her before reading this book if you have any concerns.

Once I started this story, I couldn't put it down. I read a quarter of it in one sitting, and the other three-quarters of it last night, because once I started it back up, I couldn't put it down until I knew the truth. Power's writing here is phenomenal; she does such a great job of using simple. short sentences and Margot to really push the story along. The twist was a bit unexpected, and it was a fun journey trying to piece together the fragments of the past that left Jo to want to leave Phalene a long time ago. The twist itself is unique; I personally haven't seen anything like that before, so I thought it was really cool. There's really nothing about this novel I don't like! Everything feels tight, and the story completely ties up in a way that is both appropriate and without any loose, unsatisfying ends.

If you wanted to read Wilder Girls but couldn't, definitely give Burn Our Bodies Down a try. It's so powerful both as a story and as a mediation on family, motherhood, and the bonds of the past. I completely recommend!

I received this book from Netgalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's - Delacorte Press for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story takes place with a teenage girl, Margot, who has a strained relationship with her mother and no real knowledge of the rest of her estranged family. After finding her grandmother's phone number, she contacts her and then runs away to stay with her. Her grandmother still lives in the house her mother grew up in and takes care of her now failing corn crops. There's a family mystery that Margot is determined to solve and once she does, she realizes it's corny ;) [pun]

I enjoyed this book and actually read it pretty quickly (for my usual pace) because of the twists and turns throughout it. It's definitely a thriller and just like Rory Power's last book, there is some paranormal-ish/magical realism type parts. Maybe can be labelled a little bit of horror and scifi? I'm not sure how to label it but weird stuff sure does happen and you really don't know what's going on until the end. There are some gory parts but not as bad as her first book.

Again, I thought this book was very entertaining and the concept was original to me. I recommend this book to people who like thriller/mysteries and domestic drama. Book comes out 7/7/20

4/5