First off, I think the cover of this book is so pretty, it's pretty much the reason why I picked it. I went into this blind and had no idea what it was about.

The main thing I noticed about this book is how beautifully it was written. It was lyrical enough to where it made the story and the plot feel magical without feeling pretentious. It wasn't overly descriptive to the point where it would've turned me away from the book either.

Wyatt returns to her childhood home after receiving notice that she has inherited the property. The night she left the home permanently five years ago is a memory that has remained sour to her, and it doesn't help the fact that her relationship with her father was estranged. Intending to burn the place down, she does a final walk-through of the house, gasoline canister in hand, and finds Peter, her childhood friend, locked up in the basement. The darkness that creeps into the woods does everything in its power to drive the two apart, leaving the both of them to find the trust to work with each other and make it out.

I liked how eerie the story became after Wyatt found Peter chained up. The way she left five years ago was a night and there are secrets between them that are causing friction and distrust. There's also a sense of a mystery underneath it all that kept me on my toes throughout reading this book.

I only had a few issues but doesn't overwhelm my feelings over this book (which I still thoroughly enjoyed and will be buying a physical copy on April 2nd).
- James as a character in the present tense left me with a lot of questions (his arrival, his inclusion, *that* end scene)
- Some dark entities were hard to differentiate from 'real people' until it was blatantly stated and only referred to as that after the reveal
- Peter keeping secrets the entire time and Wyatt constantly asking questions about them or in general and Peter being tight-lipped when the end was inevitable
- The ending felt a bit rushed after the fact. It almost felt like the characters were nonchalant about what had happened a mere 30 minutes before.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were a lot of turns and reveals parts that made me tear up and want to actually cry like a baby, I have high hopes for this book post-publication due to proper structuring and maybe updates on the story.

“Your blood,”he said wryly. “My bones. That’s what it takes to keep the dark at bay.”


Your Blood, My Bones is Kelly Andrew's sophomore novel. As much as I enjoyed The Whispering Dark, in many ways I enjoyed Your Blood, My Bones more.

YBMB is sold to us as a twisted romance about a girl who has to learn to harness her magic and the immortal boy who is destined to kill her but also knows how to help her. It's a story about loyalty, fate, and the people who see our darkest parts and love us anyway. YBMB is a very atmospheric Gothic story full of secrets and betrayal. Yet it's still full of beauty and heart. Home is where your heart is, after all.


A bevy of emotions roiled through her. Surprise. Sadness. And then, beneath it, acceptance. It made sense, in the end, that she’d never really known Peter at all. That he’d been like a dream to them both, something neither of them knew how to lay a claim to. But he’d loved her. He’d loved them both. And she loved him, too—whatever pieces of him he’d seen fit to give her. That counted for something.



I wish we had got to spend more time with James, Wyatt, and Peter together. I wish we could have seen more of Peter's past. I wish there had been a better conclusion because I want the suffering in my stories I consume to be worth it. To mean something. To have a payoff. I understand what Kelly was trying to do with the ending. If this wasn't a standalone it wouldn't have bothered me so much. But it felt like slap in the face after all the slowburn buildup that that's my takeaway from an otherwise beautiful story. I will still recommend the hell out of the book because Kelly Andrew is a talented lovely storyteller. I have preorded my own copy and plan to acquire a copy to our library. Please read Kelly's list of trigger warnings as there are quite a few.



***Thank you to Scholastic Press for providing me with a review copy. Quotes are subject to change.***

I'm always intrigued by young adult horror, but more often than not, they usually miss the mark for me. At least in my experience, they read more thriller than horror, and often fall into predictable storylines. Your Blood, My Bones, however, does something different. In it, Kelly Andrew is not afraid of taking risks. She does not shy away from writing gruesome, graphic, and utterly haunting descriptions that stick with you long after you've finished reading. Your Blood, My Bones is, without a doubt, the best young adult horror book to come out in recent years. The tension and unease are palpable, and the overall experience is nothing short of incredible.

Andrew has shown significant improvement since The Whispering Dark, and Your Blood, My Bones, takes her writing to a new level. Although the writing style can be a bit over the top at times, it is much more refined than her debut novel. The storyline is intense and engrossing, and it highlights her ability to craft a truly unique plot.

Overall, there's a lot to love in Your Blood, My Bones — whether you're a returning reader of Andrew's or a new one. I would highly recommend adding this book to your reading list and checking it out once it is released. Andrew's sophomore novel is one that I'll cherish forever, and I can't wait for what's next from her. Thank you Scholastic for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Review will be posted on my socials closer to release date.

TW: child abuse (graphic), abuse, murder, blood, animal death, animal abuse, drowning

Shockingly and uniquely good. A sad and dark horro romance with a creepy cult, that’s not to like? Thanks for the arc

Your Blood, My Bones was a beautifully written story. It was vivid and lush. Kelly Andrew has such a gift for creating atmospheric settings. Every sentence is meaningful and completely immerses you into her worlds. I loved the melancholy horror vibes of this book and the ending wrecked me. 100% recommend to those looking for a romantic horror, which sounds ludicrous as I write it but I feel like that's the perfect description for this book. Once I started reading it I flew through it.

I would like to start off by saying thank you Netgalley and the publiser for being generous enough to lend me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this book, I had high hopes for it. However, I couldn't find myself engaged enough, mainly because I personally did not prefer the writing style. This book was good but it was hard for me to get into and I really struggled to complete it.

A beautiful, delicate, and touching story that needed to be told. This book has changed my life and I now have a good book hangover. (which only happens with excellent books).

Wyatt returns home, intent on burning it (and the past down). But Pedyr is there, and quickly what should have been a simple act of wiping the slate clean becomes a complicated mess of memories, emotions, and uncovering a tangled web of magic and protection and family legacy. Your Blood, My Bones is eldritch horror, yes. But the creeping unease doesn't only come from the darkness seeping out from the creatures in the forest, it also comes from finally peeling away layers of history between three "friends" that are bound to the old farmhouse and the land that surrounds it. They had a childhood steeped in secrets that are now breaking free and setting in motion something that feels inevitable. Wyatt, Pedyr, and James are never fully honest with each other, not until it becomes too late to stop.

I devoured this book. It was dark and atmospheric and full of love that hurt. It takes curses and horror and shadowy guilds of men and uses these devices to examine growing up and leaving home and then having to come back to things not quite the same, yet eerily familiar. Old wounds are cracked open, and new ones are formed. Wyatt and Pedyr are such good foils for each other, their opposing and parallel paths keeping them at odds with one another for the entire book. This is a story that manages to tangle itself into your soul, lingering there long after the pages are done.

The easiest 5⭐, this novel is an utter triumph. And I don't say that lightly...

I've never loved a book this much that I devoured it in one sitting. The storytelling alone had me so immersed I never came up for air. I gasped, cursed and cried. I'm convinced I experienced the five stages of grief while reading and I'm still reeling days later. Truly cannot find words because WOW.

The Whispering Dark walked so this could run. This is our second foray into this eerie and atmospheric world that Kelly Andrew has cultivated; I was excited to explore it more and finally get some answers.

I was especially captivated by the overarching themes of anger and loss, whatever form it took throughout. It's an achingly beautiful story of friendship, love and redemption.

Wyatt is such a unique yet comfortingly familiar MC and a love interest has never ripped my heart out like Pedyr did. I deeply related with them both and despite how dark things got, many elements touched my heart. I can feel how much of the author's heart was in this.

It's haunting, spellbinding and masterful. To experience this world is to be enthralled by it. This is that book that I'll always yearn to experience again for the first time... A true core memory.

* Thank you NetGalley & Scholastic Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

Your Blood, My Bones is a slick, creeping horror centered around Wyatt, who has come back to the family compound following her father's death, and Peter, the boy from her childhood that she finds chained up in the basement.

There were a lot of things I liked about Your Blood, My Bones. I liked the wet, drippy atmosphere. I liked the magic, and I liked the characters. There were parts of the story where the story was a solid 5 stars for me, but there were also moments where I felt like the book was trying too hard to be lyrical, and instead drifted into confusion. I did read an ARC, so maybe certain things will be cleaned up a bit before the final version, but some descriptions were so confusing I had to reread them more than once (the skeleton in the church, iykyk) to figure out what was happening. I also feel like the actual world building could've gone a little deeper - Wyatt's family wasn't given enough page time, I think, to feel real, or to be understood. I think we could've done with more background info to really flesh it out.

With that said, I still really liked the story, and would recommend it to anyone who's into really atmospheric horrors.

Kelly Andrew’s in Your Blood, My Bones was so well written, it has me immersed in the book within the first few pages. The atmosphere of the book is chilling, which is what I like most. The romance will leave you emotional and hanging on every word. I truly enjoyed reading this book due to the uniqueness of the story.

This book had me hooked from the get-go and did not let me go!

"A seductively twisted romance about loyalty, fate, the lengths we go to his the darkest parts of ourselves...and the people who love those parts most of all."

When Wyatt gets the news that her father has passed, leaving her the owner of his homestead, she never expects to go back only to find her childhood friend Peter strung up in its basement.

She definitely isn't expecting the secrets she uncovers.

Romance meets cottage core horror in a very Midwest-gothic setting, complete with magic compacts and eldritch beasts.

I really enjoyed this book, especially once Wyatt begins to understand and accept what is happening around her. Without giving spoilers, the scene where she sees the pictures of James half in shadow? Just wow. The imagery painted by Kelly Andrew's writing is so immersive I could swear I was seeing it for myself.

4 stars!

Gripping. Emotional. Horrific - in the richest & most supernatural way. This is a story that I will not be forgetting for a long time, Andrew did a wonderful job in crafting a unique and intriguing story that you do not see in the current horror landscape.

Thank you Netgalley and Scholastic for the digital ARC!

Ah! I enjoyed this story so much, actually. The writing was gorgeous and poetic, and the dynamics were complex + very raw. On top of that, I really enjoyed the lore + horror imagery. This is definitely a book that's re-readable. A win for horror/tragedy fans like myself. I can't wait to buy it when it officially comes out. 🤠 (In fact, I've already pre-ordered it.)

Kelly Andrew does it again. This book is everything--spooky, dark, romantic, atmospheric--and ties together perfectly with Andrew's gorgeous prose. I want to literally eat her words with a spoon and let them take over my body. I love the Whispering Dark tie-ins as well--this installment expands the world and makes me that much more excited for whatever comes next.

The language in this book is just delicious. The language is so visceral and really crafts the rot taking place in the house, the farmland and also in Wyatt's relationships. Kelly Andrew is an excellent writer who really brings you into her world.

I loved the complicated dynamics between Wyatt and Peter, and the addition of Jamie added more layers. I think where I struggled a bit was in the middle, when it just seemed like Wyatt and Peter were going in circles around each other. And then in the last third, some new characters, or only briefly mentioned characters, got brought in a way that suddenly made them crucial to the plot. It did not feel authentic, and felt like the author was trying to piece all these ingredients together but it did not come out in a cohesive dish.

Overall I give this a 3.5 rating, rounded to 4 stars. The problems with pacing and plot warred against the rich description, the VIBES, and the intriguing characters in reviewing the book. I recommend this to anyone who loves dark fantasy or "horror light."

Solid 4.5 read for me. It was so close to 5 stars but I tripped up on some of the unreliable narrator stuff and a bit of an unbalance in the story but honestly that was mostly minor (and that's from someone who usually dislikes unreliable narrators)

Wyatt has returned to her family home in rural Maine. Her father has died and she plans to burn the farm to the ground. Her mother had taken her away a handful of years ago leaving Wyatt angry with her father. But when she arrives, she finds her childhood friend, Peter, chained up in the basement, suspended from the ceiling, left for dead. Only Peter can't die. Her family and the magical cult that grew up around them has been ritualistically murdering Peter for more years than Wyatt can wrap her head around.

Peter (Pedyr) should have died back in the colonial days but his father made a deal with the darkness in the woods and he was revived, made immortal but his deaths feed the beast as well. They're trapped together. Peter is now as old as he's ever been allowed to get (late teens)

The story is told in alternating points of view (his and hers) going back and forth between present day and their childhood along with the third kid in their trio: James, the wealthy boarding school kid who summered there with them. Both boys had their crushes on her. Wyatt had no idea the destruction she wrought when she was taken away.

Now the monsters in the wood want out into the world and with Wyatt's father dead and his magic failing, it falls to her and the boys to stop it. Only there's something wrong with her magic and she has no desire to learn what her father did to keep back the dark (hint, the title of this book is fitting).

I think, for me, one of the scariest parts of horror as a genre is there is no guarantees everyone will make it to the end. In romances you know they'll get their happy ever after. In mysteries, the sleuth will solve the case. In horror, we expect people to die (the last girl isn't a trope for nothing). Truthfully no one should survive this book. The horror both interesting and just that dangerous.

It's not the first time (even in the last few months) I've read the horror from the woods. That's a trope in and of itself, but it is done very well here. I very much liked Peter. Half the time I wanted to slap Wyatt hard but she does rise to the occasion. What I tripped over, isn't so much the unreliable narrator (both are) in so much as around mid way we learn that Wyatt is magic on both side and boom, suddenly there's this whole other side of the family who becomes important with now warning and that bugged me.

Overall, I did really love this (and wow, that cover!)

I laughed. I cried. I screamed. I had the sudden urge to fall in love with an eldritch terror.

This book exists in the same universe as the whispering dark - and there’s even a few small cross overs! It is much more of a gothic horror where whispering dark was a gothic dark academia. This book is SPOOKY, but it’s a great intro into more horror adjacent stories with a lush setting, amazing characters and a goat.

I've actually been done with this book for a while now but I had to let it sit and resonate with me because this book's prose and ending stuck to me and really REALLY injected itself into my system. This book was melodic with bite and was tragic but sweet. It hurt, but it felt transpondent. When Peter died, actually ACTUALLY died a part of me went with this character. I was so happy that the author decided to resurrect Jamie because if they hadn't I don't know where I would be because I grieved *so* many times for Peter but when it was final it wasn't grief, it was heart sorrow. For me this hit hard because personally my mom was really sick my whole life and almost died 3 times and when she did? I felt like Wyatt. It wasn't real. She would come back from it. But she didn't. Peter didn't. I can't give this book enough stars and enough public image. I will be telling EVERYONE I know about this book. BRAVO Kelly, BRAVO!

Add me to the list of people crying their eyes out upon finishing this book. "Your Blood, My Bones" is a haunting masterpiece that left me emotionally shaken and utterly captivated. Kelly Andrew's writing is nothing short of phenomenal, with her ability to craft vivid visual scenes matched only by her talent for instilling an unsettling and creeping dread that resonates in the very marrow of your bones. Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.