This story really engrossed me and pulled me in as a reader. It was fast paced and horrifying and played off of some of my very real fears--bugs. This was a brilliant debut book by Catherine Yu and I will definitely be looking out for more works by this author in the future.

This 90s gothic vampire horror was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Although the 90s feeling didn't drastically jump out, it was the limitation in technology at the time that gave the isolation feel of this small town.

I loved the mysteriousness of these vampires and the church, what was in the basement and what was with the bugs! If you are at all squeamish about bugs, catapillers, larva and the like then you may want to shy away from with one because the creepy descriptor Yu gave will have you throwing the book and hiding in terror lol.

Cindy Kay narrated and did a great job at giving a gothic, haunting feel throughout the story. Some of the side character's voice I confused a couple of times, but other than that, Cindy did a great job giving characters their own feel.

The mystery of the missing teens from this small town was a nice mystery that didn't detract from the Vampire story, but keeps us as readers interested in wanting to know more. And the dynamic between the ones in the story was great - tension, rivals, alliances!

Despite how messy (in a good way) the story was going I wad surprised by how neat everything ended. Although not bad, I wasn't fully satisfied. I wish Yu had stopped just a little sooner. That all being said, I loved this vampire story and can't wait for more by Yu! If you love vampires and the relationships in The Bear and the Nightingale, but wished it had autumn feels, then I think this is the horror for you!

Aja allows a vampire to remove her from her home in hopes of finding her missing sister...

OK this one was a little boring. The writing was good I just found it a bit repetitive. The premise was really interesting and I loved the gothic vibe but I just found my attention ebbing every now and again. It just kind of fell a little flat.

The characters were a bit one dimensional but it wasn't a hard book to finish.

3 stars

Skip if Bugs Are Not Your Thing: Direwood

Eerie, well-written and fascinating, Direwood was rather challenging for me. I struggled through it mostly because it was not my kind of read despite how I could not find much to dislike about it. But it had a good versus evil story that was rather compelling especially in the latter half of the book.

Atmospheric and borderline grotesque, Direwood centers around Aja whose older sister, Fiona, goes missing all of a sudden all the while their once idyllic town is plagued by strange weather occurrences and a creepy bug infestation. Other classmates are also going missing with no explanation. Not long after, Aja meets Padraic, a vampire whom Aja believes to be the cause of the town’s strangeness and Fiona's disappearance. Aja follows Padraic to his budding vampire lair, striking a deal to leave the makeshift coven if she is not wooed into his arms by the end of the week. Aja has one week to resist the alluring vampire and save her classmates or risk becoming just another victim.

I would say that Direwood is not the most unique story out there; in fact, most of the horror elements save for the creepy and gross caterpillars and butterflies are quite commonplace. What I found fascinating was it’s question on humanity and what it means to be human and how to be human. Aja is constantly fighting to remember her purpose instead of being enthralled by the vampires who shower her with love and praise while the vampires are grappling with their immortality. The longer the vampires remain in a single human settlement, the more human they tend to become. I quite admired Aja’s strength to keep going even as she grew tired of uncovering the truth and I loved how she held steadfast to her values.

Perhaps the only thing that I didn’t quite like about Direwood (besides the grotesque nature of butterflies and caterpillars) is that the writing is simplistic and can feel a little bit boring and repetitive. It does a great job of capturing and creating the right horror atmosphere and conveying the characters’ feelings and intentions but it wasn’t the most exciting. And, oftentimes, it tends to say “the vampire” rather than use Padraic’s name which I felt had no other purpose except for stylistic choice.

To sum it all up, Direwood is the right book for the right person. It’s definitely not a book that would appeal to everyone even though it was fairly easy to read and I thought the story was quite interesting and compelling. I didn’t really DNF it at all even though the beginning was fairly slow so that’s a really good point! But, it’s just not the book for me and I found it only mediocre.

This is not necessarily a bad review. This is solidly 3.5 stars (Curse u goodreads for not giving us half-stars!) I just didn’t walk away from this one feeling good enough to bump it to a 4.

I’ll say that this book for me generally wasn’t a bad experience, I just had mixed feelings about DIREWOOD.

On the one hand, the gory, gothic feel of this book was 100% on point. This isn’t a book you should read without a strong stomach because sometimes it just gets straight up gross, but that wasn’t a bad thing at all. We also have 90s small town nostalgia and a unique take on vampires that I haven’t seen before, so kudos to the author on that. Aja’s story reminded me a lot of books like THE CRUEL PRINCE and A DOWRY OF BLOOD and I savored every moment of the darker parts of the novel. On the other hand, this book moves remarkably slow for most of it, and it took me a minute to connect with the main character and the story. It got better later in the novel, but slow pacing for such a long time just made reading this book feel like a chore at times.

So not a bad book, just needed better pacing.

4.5 stars

I love that this is set in the 90s with all the great references to that time (80s baby here). It felt nostalgic but with a largely creepy undertone as the reader is described what is slowly happening to this town. I empathized with the main character and how she felt within both her family dynamic and within the residents of the town.

From there, it just got creepier & the some of the descriptions of the things she sees and hears made a chill run down my spine. At the same time though, I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it. It was both sad & hopeful with a little uneasiness thrown in that made it a great read.

Catherine Yu is definitely on my reading radar now!

This book is similar to Twilight with a more realistic ending. And I mean this in the nicest way. This book was such a wild ride and we experience it in the backseat/mind of Aja the younger sibling of a "perfect" older sister Fiona who has gone missing on the night of her birthday. But when an alluring vampire Pedraic calls to her in the night Aja can't seem to figure out if she opens the door because she wants to find her sister or because she is finally someone's favorite. Despite a pretty predictable narrative, I found the writing beautifully lyrical, yet somewhat meandering with the author spending a little too much time painting what is a beautiful yet horrifying picture rather than letting the readers see it.
There are multiple players in this game, Mary-Aja's white savior best friend who is sullen and constantly at war with Aja despite them always being willing to sacrifice for one another, Kate/Katie- Padraic's partner vampire who is utterly in love with him but has to watch him try to bring other people into their relationship and is abusive, Noah and Hazel. - two other teens were Fiona's friends and got tricked into coming out into the woods to become vampires. They belong to Katie and spend the entire book snitching on Aja until something triggers Noah and he decides that maybe this life isn't it for him. Ricky- is the one other missing character other than Fiona throughout the book, I don't even have to tell you why because *VAMPIRES* and Fiona our other missing character ends up being the end all to all ends. Last but not least is Padraic the very old but teenage-looking vampire who preys on young teenage girls and decided that it was a good idea to have sister-wives. Either way, I think the book is entertaining if you don't look at it too closely. The prose and writing are amazing, but long-winded and I spent most of the book grossed out by the body gore, blood, and mutilation that is littered all throughout the book. (this is a personal preference. I think it was a refreshing change but for me, it was a lot) The narrator is frustrating but honestly reads as a teen which is what she is and her thought process is super frustrating, her issues play a long and never-ending blight on her decision-making, and in the end *SPOILER ALERT* end up getting everyone killed but herself and Mary. The ending like I stated wasn't a surprise and I wish there was more perspective from the other side of everything. We have settled in Aja's perspective the entire book and I think it would have been a night respite from the gore of the blood-sucking caterpillars and butterflies by giving us a glimpse of how things were going with her father or the parents whose kids were missing now and presumed either to be dead or having been kidnapped/ran away.
I was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to both listen to the audiobook and read the text at the same time. I think that the choice of narrator was perfect, I'll be keeping an eye out for any of her other works, she made the story even more engaging, but the book was much easier to finish in a timely manner. Reading and listening together was confusing at some points because the audio has been changed a bit to fit the audio narrative better. Not a lot but enough for it to be noticeable and to confuse me for a number of paragraphs.
Overall 4/5
Story/Plot 3/5
Prose 5/5
Voice for Audio 5/5
This is a double review. Thank you to Catherine Yu, Page Street Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5*

This book follows our MC, Aja, on the quest to find her sister. The sky is raining blood, mist is rolling in from the forest, and there are white caterpillars destroying the trees. Despite these bad omens, there is still a party in the park for Aja's "perfect" sister Fiona. The next day, Fiona is missing, along with 3 other teens in town. When a stranger comes to the window, Aja knows this is her chance to find her sister.

************************************************

<i>"Darling, what's your name?"</i>

Sold. I screamed internally. I thought this was going to be another vampire romance of my dreams. Girl, Padraic is not that kind of vampire. He's manipulative, conniving, self centered, and has some issues. You know. A "real" vampire. I still don't even know if everything he said was a lie! He <u>seemed</u> like he wanted to change, to be more "human". But apparently he has a pattern *insert eye roll emoji here*. I'm only a little salty about it.

Other than being disappointed that I did not get a new book boyfriend out of this, I did really like the book! It was very atmospheric and creepy. The caterpillars tho. If you know, you know. If you don't know, read the book to find out. They were just as bad as the vampires.

While we are talking about the caterpillars, might as well talk about the body horror. I don't think I have ever read anything with body horror in it, and while it was unsettling, it didn't make the book unreadable. I'm usually really sensitive to things like that, but it didn't upset me to the point of not reading it. But you could also read past those parts if you need to!

The book is pitched as a 90's Gothic horror. There were some 90's elements at the beginning that I really loved, but it seemed like it kind of whittled away as the story went on. That could also be due to the change of scenery. I would be kind of hard to throw the 90's into the forest... but I still would have liked more. I want it all. Lets be honest.

All in all, a very atmospheric book. Great for spooky season, and I've already recommended it to a friend!

Thank you to Catherine Yu, Page Street Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this but it just wasn't enjoyable to me. I wanted it to go deeper with the 90s vibes that were promised (it felt like very little existed aside from a few pieces of clothing). It was incredibly repetitive with the same exact phrases, especially with the caterpillars clicking teeth and saying "the vampire" vs. the actual name, the repetition of saying the sister is perfect over and over with no other real info about her sister as a person! It all felt really disjointed as well, like you're thrown into the story, it's not fully explained or set up enough for me to care about the MC, she's immature and rude to her best friend, all her issues are put on everyone else. I also found it shocking that the author didn't note abusive relationships in the TW on goodreads since this entire story is basically an allegory for that, which I think could have been done better if recognized.
I'm giving this more stars than I normally would because I appreciated the fact that the MC didn't just have a creepy relationship with an old ancient vampire and for the diversity representation in a fantasy book, but...in my heart this is 1-2 stars.

This was a wonderful book about vampires. I loved the relationships between the characters. The writing was atmospheric. This book is the perfect fall read!

Full review will be posted soonish and I'll add links to blog as well.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

What fresh horror did I just read?

I had to take a day to digest this magnificent horror story.
I am beyond impressed that this is the authors debut novel!
This really had everything I wanted

>> Ya Horror
>> Bug Horror
>> Death
>> Vamps
>> Bug Vamps
>> Atmospheric
>> Sisters
>> Delusional Friends

Perfect for ya horror readers who are looking for something that is beautifully gross- full of rot and blood sucking butterflies and Ill-intentioned paranormals.

Direwood is Catherine Yu's debut novel that reads a little like Twilight with blood rain and creepy caterpillars. Aja needs to find her sister, who disappeared after bloody rain started falling from the sky and a caterpillar ate its way through her birthday cake. When a boy appears outside Aja's window trying to tempt her outside, Aja goes with him, hoping that he's the reason her sister is missing. Follow the vampire, she reasons, and she's likely to find his victims.

So they wind up in a creepy abandoned church in the woods--two vampires, a few brainwashed teenagers, and Aja. Only her sister isn't there, so where is she? What is Aja going to do? This is the part where the story runs into the ground for me. I wasn't really following the narrative, the caterpillars became overmuch eventually (repetitive, honestly), and I never really connected with the characters. I also felt like the narrative felt disjointed and Aja made these strange logical leaps to get the story to progress. There was also limited character growth since Fiona was never really allowed to be much of a character in her own right before she's whisked off to vampire land, and Aja felt a bit flat. It was tough going for me, but I'm sure this will appeal to someone else.

Part throwback to classic YA supernatural romance, part much-needed update on the characters these stories feature, I'm sure that Direwood will find an audience that clicks with it much faster than I did. Maybe if I had grown up reading this genre of YA I would have liked it more, but it never fully came together for me.

This book definitely lives up to the 90's vibe - mostly by feeling like a 90s vampire novel. It really felt like the mass market paperback YA vampire books I would pick out from the library in the early-2000s, with just a little more body horror for the new era.

Speaking of the body horror - it was the best part. It was so gross, though I will admit, the bugs did not take a twist that I expected them to - but I'm not upset about it.

There was some instalove, and overall, I did just want more development of everything - as this is a rather short book. Not my favorite vampire story I've read this year, but I am eager to see what Catherine Yu does next1

Direwood is one of the most well-written vampire novels I’ve read in some time. “Velvet-clad 1990s gothic horror’ is such an apt descriptor of the moody atmosphere, the subtle yet growing sense of dread, as well as the sensuality of the vampires.

What really makes or break the recent gothic novels I’ve read is how well the author can convey atmosphere, and Yu does this spectacularly. The majority of this novel is set in an old abandoned church deep in the forest, as Aja and several other teens are held enthralled by this pair of vampires. Yu so carefully balances the nighttime beauty of an abandoned church, gauzy white dresses, echoing violin music, dancing with a lover (or an enthralling vampire) with the daytime horror of well, being trapped by vampires. The little white caterpillars and butterflies that infest this church, feasting on prone bodies and open bleeding wounds are a constant presence throughout the book and truly used to maximum effect.

My other appreciation for Direwood comes from the fact that these vampires act their age. Too often, especially in YA vampire novel, the supposedly hundreds-of-years-old immortal vampires act and think like they’re fifteen years, going through puberty for the very first time. In Direwood, Padraic’s very presence is a constant reminder that this is an old and dangerous creature. Even in his more seductive moments, where he feigns (or does he) at his more human side, the reader is always left wondering, was it just an act? I love that this is the side, the danger but the possibility of change, that Aja feels drawn too.

The pacing of this book is surprisingly fast, for such an atmospheric novel. Aja finds herself in this church for seven days, upon which she must decide whether to stay with the vampires or not. The book is quite short, clocking at just under 300 pages, and I think it’s really the perfect length for this particular story. Events happen, and the reader is given a chance to linger on them, to watch the characters reflect on what the hell just happened, but it never feels drawn out. Had the book been longer, I suspect parts would have started feeling repetitive.

Overall, I rate this a 4.5/5. Direwood truly embodies the ‘velvet-clad gothic horror’ descriptor and I loved that the vampires always felt ancient and threatening.

I am honestly torn, and still reeling from the end of this. The pacing was a bit confusing for me, but it also added an element of foreboding atmosphere. I didn't fully buy into some of the relationships, but I found myself unable to stop reading too. Overall an enjoyable horror read.

I enjoyed this creepy vampire book, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I had a hard time understanding some of Aja’s motivations and it was difficult to relate to her. I felt frustrated by a lot of her decisions. I also think this book could have leaned into the 90s setting a little bit more.
The atmosphere was super creepy and I loved the setting.

Direwood promises to be a 1990s velvet horror, but it did not deliver on that promise. Much of the writing feels like late 2000s YA novels, and if this were published during that era, I would have loved it. However, since the current quality of YA has gone way past that, I can't help but feel disappointed at this.

The premise is good. The body horror is great! The bugs are even better! But for a big chunk of the book, Aja tells the reader everything instead of immersing me into the creepiness of Glen Hills. There is a huge dependence on dialogue tags, and the actual conversations drag the book down instead of reveal something about the characters.

Sorry, not for me.

Direwood was an interesting read that I really hoped I could get into but unfortunately could not. The blood rain was really cool and I liked the small town 90's vibes but the weird caterpillars and the storyline felt dry to me. I had a hard time enjoying any of the characters which made it hard to focus on the storyline. I really think other readers will enjoy this interesting take on a vampire story!