1990s gothic horror sign me up! It was absolutely thrilling and horrifying throughout the entire book. While it has a fast pace they still take time on the details to build this intricate and delicate story.

I don’t know if you are like me when reading but my face is very expressive. I gasp and my jaw drops or I cringe or cry depending on what happens in the story. I can tell you that my face was doing so much while reading this one! It was all over the place. This book was so very good. It was creepy and gross and dark. I loved it. The synopsis got me with gothic horror and Vampires. I am a fan of both. It was everything I wanted to read right now. I cannot wait to read more by this author. the narrations was awesome. I definitely recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor audio for the in exchange for my honest review.

Sink you teeth into Direwood by Catherine Yu, a toothsome tale where teens navigate both the undead and the uncharted waters of adolescence in an unwelcoming town. With a blend of fangs and feels, this novel serves up a cocktail of angst, forbidden desires, and impossible predicaments that'll have your heart racing faster than the flutter of a bat's wing.

Yu crafts a world where bloodsuckers grapple with their thirst for hemoglobin and their cravings for acceptance. As they juggle immortal complexities, the characters face challenges that are stake-raisingly high. With Cindy
Kay's whispery narration, you feel like you're on a forbidden walk through the woods escaping the things that go bump in the night. Direwood offers a bite-sized exploration of what it means to be alive with just the right dash of supernatural seasoning. So, if you're thirsty for a uniquely dark twist on teen vampires, grab your wooden stakes and dig into this delightfully dire read.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for the advanced audio copy via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I felt like this was a very low plot driven book but I really enjoyed it. It was so unique and gory that I couldn’t believe this was Catherine Yu’s debute YA novel. It has a plethora of horror goodness from body horror to blood to bugs. It was very reminiscent of a YA Grady Hendrix novel to me which made me love it even more. This book encompassed everything we all loved about 90s horror vampires and it made my dark loving heart so happy reading it. Definitely a book I will be picking back up in the future.

I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t the best I’ve ever read. The narrator did a great job reading and it did keep my attention. I would recommend to any vampire lovers out there is they want to try something a little different.

It's hard to write a review on a book that was okay to you. There wasn't anything technically wrong with this book but I just didn't enjoy it. I thought the plot was mediocre and the characters not really engaging. The pacing was okay but boring at sometimes. But that could have been more of my disinterest in the book. I will say that with any horror book, the details need to be there and it was. I can appreciate the gore and the blood as would be with flesh eating caterpillars and vampires - but that was about it for me. I just felt like there wasn't a cohesive theme to the book as well.

Along with a subpar plot, the characters were just not for me. There is a difference between being naïve and being stupid - and Aja was stupid. I think it was supposed to come off as naivety but it did not. I just didn't really care what happened to her, or Mary, or Hazel, or any of them honestly. And then the twist with one of the other major characters was clear as day (for me anyways).

Overall, Direwood by Catherine Yu was just not for me. This book wasn't horrible and I made it all the way through but it's a book that I'll probably never think of again. I'm glad that I was able to get an advanced copy and didn't waste any money on it though. I think this will definitely appeal to some people which I hope they do find and love it. But for me, the plot wasn't anything special and I just didn't like any of the characters.

AUDIO REVIEW
Oh thank goodness I did this on audio or I don't think I would have been able to push myself through it. The narration was phenomenal and if you enjoy audiobooks, whether you are a beginning or an advanced listener - I'd give it a go!

I had a really hard time getting into the audiobook. I'm not sure if it was just my state of mind or what about it, but something didn't click. I really enjoyed the concept of the book and I think I want to pick it up in hardcover to see if I can finish it. Thank you for the chance to review it!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Direwood” by Catherine Yu. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a story of two sisters in small town visited by vampires story set in the 90’s. It gave me shades of the horror movie Ginger Snaps although I wouldn’t have minded if it had gone a little further in that direction. Lots of trigger warning for blood and violence and well as insects and body horror.

Parts of this were a bit repetitive. It’s fast paced but there were still times where I actively thought we already did this line of thought and it’s not adding anything new except to have the main character repeating herself.

The 90’s nods were kind of sparse. I wish these elements had been more present as it could have been more fun and campy to have more 90’s nods. Although the fact that this is historical now makes me cry in millennial.

Aja kept going in these mental spirals about all her plans to kill the vampires and how much she hated them but this seemed all in her head as her actions were very passive. I get that she was supposed to be tempted by the vampires but sometimes it felt like her inner narrative and external reactions (or lack there of) were two different people. Aja’s friend Mary comes to try and save her and Aja just seemed so non reactive to Mary being tortured and suffering. I guess she couldn’t let the vampires get suspicious but it came across as she couldn’t care less about Mary.

This was a fast read that kept me interested. I’d definitely recommend this as a Halloween vampire read.

3.5/5 stars

This story started off slow and I struggled to get into the storyline. My thoughts on this book are that it was okay, it took me awhile to read but kept me entertained enough to keep reading. If you like a slow burn vampire story, this is the one for you.

Direwood by Catherine Yu is everything you want in a vampire fantasy book. It is a fun read and very interesting. I loved how the vampires captured the humans and I loved the vibe that the underworld gave to the reader. I don't read much vampire stories so this may just be me thinking aloud. But overall I thought this was a unique take on the vampire story telling and I loved it. The characters were well developed and the story flowed smoothly. I found myself emotionally invested to very character (even the vampires). I am excited to read what Catherine Yu has next! Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me to read and review this title!

4 or 4.5. This is a massively high ratings from me because I loathe vampire books for the most part. But this was very creepy and different. Definitely makes me think of a YA version of Thr Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires. Really enjoyed the narrator for the audiobook, as well.

The town of Direwood has a vampire problem, and 16 year old Aja is determined to get to the bottom of it. Mostly because her sister and some of the other teens in town have gone missing, and she’s desperate to get them back. Unfortunately when Aja herself is lured into the vampires’ lair, she discovers that getting out is going to be much harder than it appears.

I absolutely adored the gothic setting, and Yu’s grotesque descriptions of vampirism. Yu’s take on vampires is like nothing I’ve ever read, and it’s delightfully disgusting. I also appreciated the discussion of racism that Aja and her family experience in the town, and the pressure they feel to appear to be the perfect family in order to appease their neighbors.

I struggled a bit to grasp a solid plot, but for a first novel, it’s pretty good. I had a knee jerk reaction to criticize the way the girls in their book are all pitted against one another, but I think that may have been purposeful since it took place in the nineties.

My biggest issue with Direwood is that it feels incredibly rushed, and because it’s rushed, I don think it’s possible to get a good feel for the characters and what motivates them. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to other books Catherine Yu may write in the future.

I wish I could have enjoyed this story but it just wasn't for me. But i will say that the writing and pace was well written.

A slow start that builds to a masterfully creepy and disturbing crescendo in this buggy twist on a 90s vampiric horror!

I enjoyed this book so much more than I was expecting with its slow start. But between the almost lyrical writing style and the sometimes disturbing af content (like blood-sucking, flesh-eating, caterpillars for one, and some good old vampiric grooming for another), the book delivered an excellent gothic creepy vibe with some unexpected surprises along the way!

Note on the audiobook: the narration was excellent and felt very YA while still delivering the appropriate ambiance.

Direwood by Catherine Yu. It's a 1990s YA gothic horror that had a cover that caught my attention. One thing led to another and I was requesting Tantor Audio's newest.

I have mixed feelings on this one. The narration done by Cindy Kay kept me listening with her cadence and expression. The overall story, however, took time to get rolling. The opening scenes and buildup of strange occurrences and creepy little weird critters draws you in. You'll probably never look at a caterpillar the same way again. Once the culprit is revealed things really start to slow down.

Aja is very self-shaming which was hard to continually read. Her thought process didn't always fit the situation and I had a hard time with the back and forth on the villains of the story. Theres a few things that I would've liked more background on like the fog and caterpillars.

The horror elements were my favorite parts overall. Wonderfully gory, vivid depictions and the skin crawlies were excellent. Plus the reveal was top notch and utterly horrorific. Like I said, mixed feelings but overall I did enjoy this one and recommend going in blind if you can.

Thank you Tantor Audio for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

When Aja's perfect sister Fiona goes missing on her birthday, Aja is determined to find her and thinks the creepy vampire lurking around her house will have the answers. Aja finds herself in a creepy, dangerous vampire nest and needs to get herself and the other humans out.

Not my favorite take on the vampire story. It definitely romanticized it all too much for my tastes. It's described as a velvet-clad 1990s gothic horror, and I think that description nails it, I just don't believe I like velvet-clad 1990s gothic horror. But I'm glad I figured that out! :)

This is definitely not your average, friendly, Twilight vampire YA book. If you are looking for something creepy to read for Halloween this is for you. Aja notices that something is off the day of her sisters birthday party. The rain is red but no one else seems to think anything of it or the white beady eyed caterpillars eating the trees. Aja sister mysteriously disappears that very night and later in that week so does other kids from their school. No one is looking for her missing sister and she gets frustrated at her father. One night Aja gets a mysterious creepy visitor outside her house and he tries to glamor her to follow him. She decides this is the only was she can find her sister Fiona so she negotiates her terms of following him and her safety. There she meets the other vampire and finds the two other missing kids but not her sister. I found the caterpillars disturbing and will never look at them the same way again. The ending is sad and not your typical HEA so go into being warned.
This one was pretty dark for me and I found the story to be okay.

I think this book is perfect for young teen who love vampires. We have some uncomfortable bug horror and I love that the vampires were brutal. The biggest issue is I never fell for the vampires. I never felt the connection and pull vampires usually evoke. I think if we had more show and less tell we would have developed that. Even conversations she was having we were told about instead of experiencing them when they happened.

I really don’t know how I feel about this book. I really love vampire books and I was really excited about reading this book. And will admit there are some parts of this book that I really enjoy but overall I was fairly confused by the flow with the book. There were several moments that I didn’t know what was going on and the pacing felt off. But there are several parts of the book that were really enjoyable, like the vampire butterflies. Even though I had some issues with the book I still found it as an enjoyable read.