I can’t decide how I feel about this book. Parts of it were satisfying and intriguing, but the ending fell flat for me and the twist was really confounding (and not in a good way lol). It made no sense and didn’t fit with the storylines presented in the first 90% of the book…. I don’t think the ending was well done at all, tbh. I liked Lex & Kael, and in terms of secondary supporting characters, I thought they were well described and fitting for the story. Overall, it was fine but wouldn’t call it a strong thriller.

Absolutely thrilling and kept me turning the page and on the edge of my seat. I loved it and will highly recommend to others.

#WhatStillBurns by Elle Grawl has all the elements for a compelling mystery. The lone survivor of a horrible tragedy returns like the prodigal child to the scene of the 'crime'. Was the tragedy simply the result of an accident or was there more to it?
Trying to separate fact from fiction in what she thinks she remembers and what actually happened.

At ten, Alexis "Lex" Blake and her family moved to her mother's hometown but because she was a Blake not a Rawlings, Lex always felt like an outsider. After a devastating fire destroyed her home and her family, all she wanted was to leave the town, its tight-knit religious community, and the gossip behind her for good.
But years later when her last remaining family member dies, Lex has no choice but to return to the place that caused her so much pain. The only asset Lex has to settle the mountain of debt left from her Aunt's illness is the family homestead. But being back is harder than she could have imagined as suppressed memories about the days leading up to the fire that killed her family are slowly reemerging. What really happened to her family and why does it seem that someone is willing to kill to keep her from finding out?


Elle Grawl sketches a nice slice of small town living particularly the challenges for outsiders. But the picture never feels like more than an outline and simply doesn't offer enough detail to feel authentic or complete. Lex's motivations, her actions, and her interactions seem to happen in a vacuum disconnected from the primary story. It is a challenge to say what the primary mystery is as the book has multiple threads - several of which could have made a compelling story on their own - so instead of a clear mystery to be solved the reader gets taken down multiple paths that ultimately lead nowhere and add nothing to the resolution of the story. Somewhere in 'What Still Burns' is the core of good mystery but that's not apparent in this unfocused story.

Thanks to #netgalley for providing access to this ARC of #WhatStillBurns in exchange for an honest review.

A good, if a little predictable, mystery with a protagonist who I found engaging and credible. Her back story is tragic and made her very sympathetic as a character.

As fantastic of a debut as ONE OF THOSE FACES was, Grawl's latest WHAT STILL BURNS is even better. She perfectly captures the insular nature of rural small towns and their politics, and the twisty plot will keep people guessing all the way to the end.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I have read this same basic plot in several books, but this one will take you on a ride. Absolutely in my top 10 for this year!

Well, this book was a decent read, it had the usual, it had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, and a few twists and turns! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! I would recommend reading this book as it was worth reading but, I wouldn't say it was one of my top favorites but it was still worth reading, it was a decent read! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I found this book to be a bit of a let down. The writing style was quite flat, and paired with the protagonist's rather emotionless personality, it made the whole narrative feel bland. Furthermore, the pacing was extremely slow, and very little happened over the course of the story, right up until the last few pages. The protagonist did little in the way of actually solving the primary mystery; it read more like the events happened entirely to her, rather than her influencing anything herself, and I'm not a fan of a protagonist who doesn't actively drive the story forward.

Overall, this one just wasn't a hit with me.

A quality read with everything I like to see in a mystery. The characters, setting, and plot were all well formed, and I really enjoyed reading this story.